Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve
by Alexandal137
Summary: Harry contemplates over what happened during his first three years and makes a decision that will change his outlook on magic. !protective Harry possible H/Hr first fic so its probably not that good. Slight Bleach crossover. Also slight AU
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Harry Potter

Chapter 1

It was the summer after Harry's 3rd year. Harry Potter, thin but healthy awoke with a death defying gasp typical of those awakening from a nightmare. Bright emerald eyes flew open as he sat up in single sized worn mattress that had seen better days. Sweat matted his dark, permanently messy hair as he struggled to come to terms with what happened during his last year at Hogwarts, the supposedly perfectly safe school that was boasted to be the one the premier schools in the European continent. He swung his legs off the bed and considered pacing but thought better of it as he didn't want to disturb his so called family.

Uncle Vernon was not a pleasant person at all with his fear filled rage at what he could not understand and the rest of his family was not far off. Aunt Petunia, who was the opposite of Vernon and his spawn Dudley, in a perfectly understanding world was supposed to be comforting and understanding of what he could do but alas it was not a perfect world. Tall and thin with a longer than normal neck from craning to discover the more juicer gossip in Privet Drive, she was just as fear-filled and violent towards him as Vernon and Dursley but just not in a physical sense. This completed the package of abuse that plagued him for the first 10 years of his life in the repetitive lifestyle that surrounded Privet Drive and the summers of the next 3 summers when he returned from the world where he felt he belonged. The Wizarding World.

Deep down Harry knew that he only belonged on some level as Harry himself and not as the Boy-Who-Lived. If he truly belonged as Harry then the other students at Hogwarts wouldn't have stigmatized him during his second year when he found that he could talk to snakes at the same time as everyone else, rare skill be damned. He sighed as he got up to press his forehead against the cool window that came with the night. He shuddered as he remembered the chilling presence that he felt when he confronted the Dementors during his last week at Hogwarts. Presence colder than winter blizzards without proper clothing, the feeling of fear that was radiated and multiplied as dozens of Dementors swarmed him, his godfather Sirius and close friend Hermione.

It should be expected that the effects would still linger even if he stayed in the tender care of the school medi-witch Madam Pomfrey after the events that should not have happened in a proper world. Time-travel, soul sucking demons and shape-shifters were assuredly not part of the regular year school curriculum. He laughed quietly under his breath as he thought back to his previous years at Hogwarts. Possessed and incompetent professors, magical creatures that wanted to tear his body and soul apart and plots upon plots to resurrect one Dark Lord who decided that he wanted to spread fear with an anagram.

As he sat down in his rickety chair that looked like it wouldn't last another year he contemplated on his determination to continue with his magical training focus that was very vague and did not seem to help him at all with the death defying adventures that he had no interest but still engaged in every year. Unknown to him his magic heard his thoughts and started to echo inside of him and gently shifted as it followed his contemplation, like a prowling beast in a cage that was patiently biding its time as it considered the best way to unleash its fury upon those who wished it harm.

Unaware of this change inside of him his thoughts turned back one of his two closest friends that he had in his life. All 13 soon to be 14 years of it. Hermione Granger, resident Ravenclaw in Gryffindor. Shorter than he was by 2-3 inches, petite but still possessing womanly charms that she was assuredly growing into, not that he consciously acknowledged it but he subconsciously noticed if his more pleasant dreams were anything to be talked about. Not that he would of course. No definitely not. No thinking about her impish smile that seemed to brighten up the room whenever he saw it. Definitely not about how her brown curly locks of hair tumbled down her back whenever she stretched or shifted when she was reading and talking animatedly about something she particularly enjoyed.

She was one of the anchors in his life for when the going got tough her she was there. When he was nervous before a Quidditch game or an exam she was there, with her brown eyes shining a bright amber as she gazed upon him with all the love and trust that he would pull through and come out on top of whatever was plaguing him at the time. He would do anything for her, even if it was protecting her from hell if it came to it.

His internal contemplation completed he fortified his resolve and vowed to do anything and everything that he could to protect her who brightened up his life with her mere presence. His magic followed his train of thought and landed on his latest decision. To Protect. As it landed on this burning resolve it too decided to protect its master and any who he deemed worthy of his protection it began to change. Imbuing the idea of protection with all of its might it set out to meet its master's will halfway and started to lean towards a defensive orientation. Scratch that. Rather than lean it spiked towards the idea of defense and started to burn through Harry's midnight energy.

As he yawned his breathing got heavier, as if he had just ran a marathon with no warning or time to stretch. He staggered to bed and as he collapsed face first onto his pillow, turning his head so that he could still breathe when he awoke in the morning he could have sworn he heard a whisper, as if carried by the wind. 'We will protect those we deem worthy. No matter the cost'. He contemplated these words as he felt Morpheus' pull and decided wholeheartedly that these ideals were those that he could definitely get behind. He smiled as sleep finally claimed him. To protect others as his parents once protected him was absolutely something that he could get behind.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energetic. The sun was rising steadily and the early morning rays were starting to peek through the flimsy, moth eaten curtains spraying his wall with beads of gold. As he looked at the small clock on his table and saw that it was six-thirty he shrugged to himself and decided to start cooking breakfast early so that the Dursleys wouldn't have a reason to yell at him so early in the day. With that decided he set off quietly down the stairs into the kitchen and got out everything he needed to make a typical breakfast for Number 4, Privet Drive.

As the smell of bacon and sausages wafted through the open door, rousing the other inhabitants, Harry thought back to the decision that he had made last night as he unconsciously went about making the huge spread of food that he knew he would get little of. What he wasn't expecting though was that as he turned after serving up the last of the dishes, Dudley, with his polished wooden stick that Smeltings idiotically decided to hand out to each student for who knows why decided that he wasn't moving out of the way and decided to strike him in the back of his head. Why he was carrying it at 7 in the morning was a mystery that Harry decided wasn't worth his effort to figure out.

As he moved to put the pans he used into the sink to wash them he was surprised to hear a thunk, as if something wooden had hit a wall. Whirling around he stopped and stared at Dudley, faces mirrored in surprise at the translucent green wall that sprung up between Harry and the potential threat. They stood there for who knows how long both staring open-mouthed in surprise until both of Dudley's parents walked into the room and all conversation died out as they became just as shocked as the two preteens in front of them.

"BOY, what is the meaning of this!" Roared Vernon as his face turned a nasty puce that Harry knew signified rage and would probably result in a beating at worst and days locked in his room at best.

"I, I don't know." Stammered Harry as he was just as shocked as his uncle that he had done magic. His eyes flickered to the window eyes wide in fear at the thought of receiving another owl after the warning in his second year that stated that he would be expelled if he cast magic again in front of muggles. Vernon bellowed in anger as he charged at Harry, intent on showing his displeasure in the usual violent way that has been the norm for years. Petunia and Dudley moved to the side, watching in sadistic pleasure at the thought of watching said husband and father beat the boy even though he had done nothing wrong.

Harry's eyes flickered around the room, instinctively casing it and casting away plans that wouldn't work and categorizing those that would into an order of success. Plans made, he ducked under Vernon's outstretched arms and made to escape through the door and back to the relative safety of his room where he could wait out his uncle's anger until he was needed to do chores outside.

He wasn't counting on Dudley wanting to see him get beaten and thus didn't notice his Smelting stick aiming to trip him by smacking him on his ankle. As Harry landed on the floor and immediately realized what the end result would be he felt a pain strike him in the chest, like a hammer but larger and thicker. Harry slid across the floor and landed against the wall with a painful oomph as the breath left his body from the impact. Knowing what was coming next he curled himself up into a ball with his hands protecting his neck and face tucked against his legs with his knees and elbows providing protection from his uncle's rage.

As Harry prepared himself for the beating of a potentially life-threatening beating from the imminent approach of his uncle his magic answered his call of desperation. The original wall that had disappeared when Harry moved to escape sprung up again this time surrounding his entire curled up body just as his uncle was placing his foot down, literally, with the intent to break all of his nephew's ribs and maybe ending the source of apparent evil that plagued his house, family and life for over a decade.

The translucent lime green wall made a noise like the sound of a punching bag as it held itself protectively around the one that unknowingly summoned it. Vernon, furious at the turn of events, bellowed in anger as his face turned an even darker puce and began slamming his foot against the wall again and again in rage fueled desperation to wipe clean the smear of freakishness that lay before him.

Harry, curious as to why there was no pain slowly looked up to make sure that his uncle wasn't just waiting for him to lower his guard paused as he warily gazed around him. His eyes first flickered to Dudley who had an arrogant smirk as if he was watching a small dirty animal being beaten by one of his cronies to his aunt who looked slightly upset at the thought of Vernon attempting to squash the life out of him like a bug.

Harry contemplated that thought and decided to think about it in his room later, slightly warmed by the thought that while his aunt may not like him, she didn't want him dead. He watched the foot slam down again and again although the pace started to slow as his uncle, overweight as he is started to get tired from wasting so much energy on an act that clearly wasn't working, he heard a gentle voice almost like a whisper blowing over him, saying that he would be protected no matter what. The voice brought a slight smile to his face which was agreed by everyone that it wasn't the smartest thing Harry could have done at the moment.

Vernon gasped for breath as he managed to choke out "Go to...your room... no food..." as he sank deeply into one of the chairs that groaned under his weight. Harry, not believing his luck, raced up the stairs and back into his room slamming the door shut and breathing heavily from both magical exhaustion and adrenaline. He leant against the door and tried to catch his breath wondering what just happened. Soft footsteps could be heard down the hallway that stopped just outside his door.

"Do you know what just happened?" whispered Aunt Petunia as she spoke through the catflap that was installed to pass food whenever Harry was locked in.

"I have no idea... Honest... I didn't even have my wand..." Harry started to babble, his current mood not helping him comprehend what just happened and the andrenaline and increased heart rate making it worse.

"I know. You were just as surprised as we were to see the wall. I'll try to calm Vernon down and make sure that you only stay locked in here as punishment." Replied Petunia, voice low as if to calm the same small animal that recently took a beating by Dudley's friends. Harry just sat there stunned as he heard what Petunia said.

"Don't expect this to happen every time you use your freakishness. I still hate the fact that you can do it but even i know there is a difference between heavy handed discipline and attempted murder." Petunia's voice rang out, tone sharp and cutting as it was the day before.

Harry stayed silent for a few moments longer still processing what just happened when he finally had the common sence and courtesy to reply. "Thank you." Whispered Harry, unsure of what else to reply. His aunt just scoffed but made no other noise as she rose and walked away. Harry decided then and there that while it wouldn't make up for years of abuse if he had the chance to protect one of the only living links to his parents then he would do it however he could. No matter the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 2

Harry woke up sometime before midnight feeling refreshed from his spontaneous nap stemming from his accidental wandless magical exhaustion. He stretched his limbs as he struggled to regain his bearings about where he was and what happened earlier that day. As his thoughts gradually became more coherent his mind turned to his recollection of his earlier display of magic. 'What in the name of Merlin happened?' He pondered. Never in the 3 years since he had entered the Wizarding World had he heard of skills even remotely like what he had displayed earlier. He got up and decided to write to Hermione who he knew would either already know about this or would tear apart Flourish and Blotts to find out. Harry chuckled as he thought about her reaction and sat down to start his letter.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _Something weird happened earlier today. I had left my wand upstairs to start breakfast so that the Dursleys had nothing to complain about and as I was finishing up Dudley decided to attack me from behind, cowardly git that he is. Anyway, as he was swinging his stick at me a wall sprang up to protect me. It looked like a magical shield but how could that happen if I left my wand upstairs? It also didn't look like any magical shield that I've seen before. I hope you have some idea about what this is and if you don't I'd be willing to help you purchase anything you might need to solve this._

 _Yours Faithfully_

 _Harry._

"Come here girl. Can you take this to Hermione for me. Wait for a reply if you can." Harry asked Hedwig, his ever loyal familiar. His owl had been there through thick and thin, much like Hermione. Her amber eyes blinked once in acknowledgement and stuck out her leg so that he could tie the letter on. As he opened the window so that she could take off he contemplated on the mysterious voice that he had heard when the wall had appeared. He pet Hedwig on the head as she hooted in farewell and watched her fly out the window, white feathers spreading wide and soaring off into the distance. Harry turned to the desk to begin his summer homework but found he couldn't concentrate on the extremely theoretical History of Magic.

He soon heard a whisper that seemed to come from nowhere, a breeze seemed to begin blowing but Harry was bemused as the air outside was humid and dead. 'Am I going mad?' Harry thought to himself as he swore he could have heard a voice in the summer air. ' _You aren't going mad Harry'_ chuckled the voice. It was a deep tenor with a hint of steel that said that only the foolish would mess with.

"Who are you" blurted Harry as he covered his mouth and stilled his breathing in a hope that none of the Dursleys heard him. The voice merely chuckled again ' _I am you. I am your magic. Your resolve. When you have truly mastered your magic you will be able to shift to a myriad of forms that will assist you as you need assistance. Follow my voice and we shall further this discussion.'_

" How do i follow your voice? I have no idea where you are" whispered Harry. The voice merely chuckled louder before he replied.

' _No need to speak aloud my friend. I am inside you so you need only speak to me via your thoughts. Come and sit for you need to be comfortable to engage in this activity_ '. Harry did as he was told, curious as he was.

' _Close your eyes. There's a good chap. Now breathe slowly, inhale and exhale and repeat. Now look inside you and try to find your center. It should be the large glowing thing inside you.'_ As Harry did as he was instructed he thought about how silly he was being, following a voice that he knew nothing about but then again he was a Gryffindor and they were known for their lack of self preservation. Harry traveled down deeper into his mind feeling foolish as he breathed slowly thinking that he was imagining things before he found the bright ball of light that the voice told him he would find. As he approached the pulsing globe he tentatively reached out to gently place a hand on the surface. It felt warm to his touch. Almost like the warmth from the Gryffindor Common Room on a snowy day. A smile touched Harry's face as he recognized the safety and warmth that he associated the Tower with. The smile dropped off his face as his hand phased through and he felt a tugging pulling him into the sphere.

'Damn it. I shouldn't have simply touched it without having any idea what it was'. Thought Harry briefly as he was sucked into what seemed like a desert plain that could be commonly found in Africa. It was a sprawling landscape of mid-calf length grass with mountains, forests, ocean and a volcano surrounding the western, northern, eastern and southern horizons respectively with a lake slightly smaller than the one at Hogwarts in the middle with a tail of water sneaking to the east to connect to the ocean.

' _I see you've finally arrived Harry'_. He whirled around and gaped at what he saw. It was a rhinoceros easily the size a tank, skin a steely grey that shined in the bright sun, muscles rippling with each step he took towards Harry, horn a decent meter in length that looked to be both sharp and sturdy but what made Harry pause the most was the cheerful look in the creatures eye as it approached. Harry instinctively knew that this creature wouldn't hurt him but he knew from Care of Magical Creatures last year that he should still approach with caution after the disastrous lesson with Buckbeak. Even with this instinctive knowledge he still gulped as he bowed, eyes not leaving the large head with the mischievous eyes and even larger horn bumped him into falling down to the grass.

' _Come now Harry, no need to bow to me'_ chuckled the rhino as it lowered its face so that a single eye could peer closer at Harry. As it was doing this Harry's brain rebooted and he started to stammer, brain not connecting with his mouth and causing the multitude of questions he had to tumble together in a coherent bundle.

"Who... How... Why... What's..." came the jumbled mess as deep rumbles were made as the very land itself shook with the great beast's laughter.

' _Peace young Harry ask your questions. I will not be going anywhere and I can assure you that I will not be leaving.'_ As the laughter slowly died out Harry came to his senses and slowly relaxed into the grass since the feeling of safety and security from outside had never left him even after the beast had approached him. He took a moment to control himself and organised what he wanted to know in order of priority. "Who are you?" Harry asked slowly, content in the idea that he would be getting answers but still unsure of whether or not his curiosity would be welcome.

' _I am You. More specifically I am a physical conjuration and adaptation of your power aligned with your resolve. You who wish to protect those who have made you feel welcome and wish to reciprocate by protecting them in return brought me to sentience. When you leave here I will give you a totem that will represent myself in the physical world and allow us to communicate easier.'_ Harry just gaped like a goldfish. Mouth opening and closing, at a loss for words at what he had just heard.

"Is this normal?" replied Harry mentally cursing himself for getting into these situations. ' _Not that I know of'_ returned the beast ' _Then again we both know that you get yourself into these situations without even trying'_. They both laughed at that and the ground shuddered as the rhino lowered itself to lay down on the ground. ' _Come closer now, there's a good lad. Now whats the next question'_. Harry gingerly rose and moved to lay against the beast's neck.

"Do you have a name?", he asked as he gently lay a hand against the leathery, steel skin that was leathery from what he figured was the sun never-minding how that could possibly be. ' _Not really. I am a simply a physical form of your magic. While you could potentially summon me I believe I would be similar to a patronus and would disappear after your needs are met'._

Harry contemplated this bit of information as he simply lay there, content in the feeling of safety that surrounded the pair in the warm summer heat.

"You mentioned something about my resolve?" he queried after thinking back on what they had said earlier. "What resolve are you talking about?". ' _I am referring to your decision to protect those closest to you and those who you feel worthy of your protection. While it is clear that you would protect any who needed it, I am specifically targeting those closest to you, such as Hermione and Sirius and most recently your Aunt Petunia'._ This puzzled Harry for a bit and just as he was about to ask for a clarification as to why Ron was not included and his Aunt was his mouth took a different path.

"I still don't know what to call you" He blurted out. Harry once again heard that great rumbling laugh that made him think about the feeling he got when he first heard his mother sacrificing herself to save him. _'I am your magic. I am your will to protect any who you feel falls under your protection.I will be the shield that stops all harm from befalling you and the sword that cuts down any danger you see.'_ Hearing those words sent shivers down Harry's spine as the words reverberated around his very soul.

"I'm gonna call you J, short for Juggernaut because that's what you seem like to me. The unstoppable force that crushes all who opposes him." ' _I like it'_ decided the newly dubbed J as he slowly contemplated the name.

"Anyway, why is Aunt Petunia included but not Ron" replied Harry slightly annoyed that he got sidetracked yet also apprehensive as he had no wish to insult the physical representation of his magic, something he simply decided to roll with as unusual as it was.

 _'That is simple'_ rumbled J. ' _Your aunt, even though she has shown you disgust and loathing, still attempted to calm down her husband even though there was a risk that he could turn on her. That resonated within yourself and you had decided even if you didn't notice that if something threatened her you would try your best to save her if only for this single show of mercy. Your friend Ronald on the other hand'_ Harry could hear the derision in J's voice as he said Ron's name.

' _I'm sure you can sense that he doesn't really see past the whole Boy-Who-Lived title'_.

"That's not really fair. I mean sure he can get jealous every now and then but that's understandable given he has 5 older brothers."

' _It doesn't really matter to me'_ snorted J ' _I am simply an aspect of your magic to help you use it more efficiently. What you do with your magic is up to you. I am merely stating that I was made from the resolve to protect both those close to you as well as those who are distant if only because its the right thing to do.'_

Silence drifted over the two as Harry contemplated what J had said. As he drifted off in thought, Harry suddenly leapt to his feet as he realised that the conversation had gone on for what felt like hours.

"J. What am I going to do? I've been here for hours" shouted Harry as he thought about his uncle's reaction to his skipping of cooking duties. It wasn't a nice thought. ' _Calm yourself. Time runs differently here. I can assure you that you have not spent all night in here merely a sliver of it. Alas it is time to wake up. I will continue to talk to you from here and we can discuss how to summon my totem._ '

'OK J' thought Harry as he slowly drifted upwards to what he assumed to be his consciousness. As he continued rising Harry contemplated his new companion and what sort of totem he wanted. 'What do you mean by totem' asked Harry as he drew closer to the surface. _'_

 _When I say totem I am not referring to the giant poles of animals but rather an item that can be carried or worn no matter where you go.'_ Replied J. This caused Harry to pause and think but before he could give it any serious thought he broke through the surface of his mind and reentered his body.

Emerald eyes flew open and Harry's body took a deep but calm breath as if nothing had happened. 'Hey J' probed Harry gently, unsure if he really had imagined the gentle beast inside his mind from the heat.

' _Yes Harry'_ laughed J, picking up on the stray thoughts that Harry had been broadcasting. Harry simply smiled and uncrossed his stiff legs from sitting in the same position for so long.

'Sorry. I just wanted to make sure...' Harry replied timidly.

 _' It's alright Harry. Now that I'm here no one will ever be able to separate us. Ever.'_ Harry relaxed at J's reply and leaned against the headboard of his bed sagging into the pillow that he had propped up beneath him.

'Should we talk about your totem now?' Harry gently replied exhaustion from communicating with his magic lowering his voice significantly.

 _'Yes, I suppose we can. Now as your physical aspect I recommend an item that is practical and plain. Things that do not stand out get noticed less quickly.'_ Harry agreed with this sentiment and started running through items that he could carry with him.

'Since your my magic and we've talked about our will to protect does that mean you specialize in a certain branch of magic?' J smiled and broadcasted happiness that Harry had picked up on that. ' _Yes I do. Since you have never met anyone with magic coalescing into a similar form I cannot say for certain if this is the norm. Maybe Hermione might be able to find out but until then we are the anomaly. Back on topic, I specialize in defensive magic. You will find protective spells and runes to be easily learned while all other spells will take the normal time to learn. While some believe that defensive magic is less useful than offensive magic let me tell you that that is false.'_ Harry drank in this information like a sponge. He had always been partial to shielding spells and his thoughts turned to the Charms lesson where they were learning the basic shielding charm.

He had been just as shocked as everyone else when he had managed to summon a perfectly round dome on his first go. His thoughts also brought to the front of his mind Ron's face when he had achieved it. He had thought Ron would be ecstatic that he had managed it but instead he saw that his face was a maroon color similar to how Uncle Vernon became when he was angry. As he turned away to smile at someone else congratulating him Ron had managed to control his emotions and showing a gentle smile that belied his jealousy. He looked back and puzzled over what he thought he saw and figured he was imagining things. Of course things went back to normal when they learned a new spell and decided that Harry's success was merely a fluke.

' _My presence had been felt by you even then, not that either of us knew so'_ J murmured ' _Moving on. What item do you suggest my totem should be. Maybe something that you don't have yet?'_

'How about everyday gloves?' suggested Harry. ' _Gloves could work. They can cover the forearms and serve as a wand holster as well.'_ Harry was supportive of the additional idea and soon asked what he had to do. ' _All you need to do is imagine what you want my totem to look like and I shall do the rest. I'll tell you when I begin to physically form'._

'What if I lose my concentration?' Harry whispered, worried something could go wrong and he would lose someone who was a part of his very soul. _'Fear not Harry. If this does not work then nothing will happen. I will still be here and we will still be able to communicate. The only problem that could possibly arise would be the downtime needed to wait before we attempt the summoning again.'_ Harry took a calming breath as he acknowledged the information J sent him and proceeded to imagine the form he wanted J to appear.

As Harry began thinking J was busy centering himself and glowing with power inside their shared mindscape. As the collective power began to thrum Harry discarded the idea of a sword based on J's horn. His thoughts turned to armor but decided that as a wizard it would be too impractical and he wouldn't be able to hide it very well. While he didn't fully discard the idea of armor and turned his mind toward creating a pair of gloves he changed his decision and focused on a vest that was similar to plate armor. With wide shoulder straps that wouldn't fold over and dig into his skin he focused further on short sleeves that would continue halfway down his biceps. On his chest a pattern similar to a dragons scales only more rectangular in shape that seemed specifically designed for added protection. This design continued to wrap around and met at his back where extra material was included so that there was an overlap of an additional quarter of length across each side of his spine with hooks connecting both sides before merging into the material. On top of the small of his back lay an additional fold of material that seemed to represent J's horn.

' _This is quite an impressive totem that you summoned Harry. Although I thought we agreed on gloves but I do feel that this would protect you better as I will be able to protect your organs more easily. The fold on your back if for your wand so that you won't break it by sitting on it._ ' Joked J. They both snorted at the idea of sitting on his wand and breaking it that way. Harry, exhausted as he was from bringing forth a physical form of his magic leaned back against his pillow and looked at the steely grey material. 'What else will i be able to do with this?' thought Harry forgetting that he was broadcasting his thoughts.

 _'We will begin training tomorrow if you like. After I've given you the basics which includes augmenting your body with your magic to increase your speed and power, we'll focus on how to multicast different shields and how to use them.'_

'What do you mean by different shields? Aren't they all the same, just with different strengths?' J practically bellowed with laughter at this description. _'Harry my dear fellow. Shields come in more categories than that. There's shape, power, elemental'_

'Wait elemental?' interrupted Harry, eyes bulging at the possibilities.

' _Yes, elemental'_ snarked J, slightly annoyed at being interrupted as he was starting to roll with his speech. _'With the 3 main categories being Strength, Focus and Alignment, it allows you to branch into other aspects such as allowing single way access shields which will allow you to cast through it at your enemies while stopping all of their spells or using them as portable cover for yourself and allies set to find those you recognize as allies and shift from person to person. Of course this is all figurative as the only limits are those that you set on yourself based on your creativity. Furthermore when you become proficient enough I believe you will be able to include the number of totems you can summon at once to include that full suit of armor that you were thinking about earlier.'_ Harry's jaw had progressively dropped lower as the implications of what he could do finally hit him and when he finally snapped his jaw shut his eyes rolled back and he fainted back into his pillow, mind overloaded with what he can do. J merely chuckled at the sight of this and whispered contentedly. ' _Sleep well Harry. We have much to do and little time to do so.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A month had passed since Harry had discovered J and his life had practically turned upside down. With another person looking out for him Harry was finally able to relax and let his guard down around the Dursleys without fear. Even if his instincts didn't detect the dangers that remained in Number 4, J certainly picked up on them and formed shields to protect him from the physical dangers that remained in the household. This of course didn't impact Harry that much as he now had someone to talk to during the long nights and the training that they did was difficult enough to take his mind off the hunger pangs. Currently Harry was feeling more cheerful than usual as he had received a reply from Hermione saying that no she hadn't heard of magic acting in the manner that it had with him while simultaneously berating him for managing to land himself in another situation without the term even starting yet. He wasn't angry at her for the tone her letter had taken as he himself found it amusing that he managed to evolve his magic into a unique aspect. He in return had sent a letter to her in reply saying that her research was not needed as he had managed to communicate to his magic and that he would answer her questions when he saw her next.

Harry had also received a letter from Ron stating that he and his family would be picking him up via the Floo, whatever that was. He was looking forward to seeing his friends again and the Weasleys were high up on his friend ladder. J snorted when he picked up on the term 'friend-ladder' and never failed to tease Harry about it whenever he could. Harry in return would blush whenever J made fun of him and sputtered a defense about how it was just a figure of speech. The current round of the argument had just ended with Harry sitting at the bottom of the stairs with all his things packed as he waited for the Weasley's to arrive. J was currently quizzing Harry on the different combinations that his shields could take and describing the process where he could 'push' smaller shields at his opponents.

' _Now, describe to me all the possible choices that could be made based on the differing Focus and Alignment combinations.'_ 'Well there are the basic elemental shields, such as earth, water, air, fire and null. After the basic shields you have fusion shields where you combine two elements such as water and air to make ice and earth and fire for lava. Then you factor in the physical, magical and spiritual type shields. By branching into the different trees you can aim specifically for the target without compromising those around the area.' _'Very good Harry'_ praised J, causing Harry to smile.

' _Less smiling and more focusing young man, your friends are here'_ J pointed out, gesturing with his horn. Harry laughed lightly and entered the living room where he could hear the sounds of grunting and muffled voices coming from the fireplace that happened to be blocked off.

Looking around he saw the Dursleys sitting on the sofa staring at the fireplace in bewilderment then each other then back again. Harry had to admit that it was quite amusing as he had never seen them as shocked as now without being the cause. J snorted in the background of his mind as Harry made a decision and slowly approached the fireplace.

"Mr Weasley is that you?" inquired Harry calmly as he approached the fireplace at an angle.

"HARRY! Thank Merlin you're here. Do you have any idea whats wrong with the fireplace?" replied Mr Weasley, voice muffled as if it was pressed against the wall. Harry snorted again and had to take a moment to control his laughter before he lost control.

"I think I do" Harry snickered. "They have an electrical fireplace. It means its blocked."

"Blocked you say, does it have plugs and everything?" came the reply. This of course set Harry off causing him to fall back and laugh himself silly. Mr Weasley thought about his options for a moment before coming to a decision.

"Right then, back away Harry, and brace yourselves boys I'm opening the fireplace." A few grunts could be heard from the fireplace and Harry smartly made the choice to hide behind the doorway as he waited for whatever Mr Weasley did. Vernon on the other hand finally caught on to what was happening and started to approach the fireplace.

"Wait one second. What on earth are you planning on..." He never got to finish his sentence as the fireplace exploded, showering the Dursleys still in the room in marble and plaster while expelling Mr Weasley, the Twins and Ron into the once pristine living room.

"Ah, that's much better" stated Mr Weasley as he straightened up beaming. Harry, still snickering at what had just happened entered the doorway into the living room once more thankfully still plaster clean except for his shoes where he was walking.

"Hello Mr Weasley, nice entrance. Must say it was quite explosive" Harry replied. The Twins, who had just snorted after hearing Harry's comment merely straightened up and went to hug Harry.

"Harry mate"

"Lovely to"

"see you"

"you look positively"

"spiffing my friend. Spiffing I say." Harry smiled and returned the greeting.

"I've been trying to improve my fitness, stamina and strength training mostly. You know how it is." Fred and George both agreed to this as Quidditch required both in order to be at their peak and inquired the location of his stuff so that they could collect it and be on their way back to the Burrow. As Harry told them that it was at the bottom of the stairs and they moved to collect it he let them move into the house trailing plaster and moved to greet his other close friend Ronald Weasley. Like his brothers and father he was tall and lanky with blazing red hair the same shade as the rest of the Weasley clan.

"Blimey Harry. What happened to you?" Ron managed to choke out. Either because Harry looked so drastically different from the end of Third year or the plaster, Harry wasn't sure. As he looked down at himself he guessed he could understand where he was coming from. J had explained that any exercise he did while in his mindscape would affect his physical body since he was training physically instead of just mentally practicing something called Occlumency that was supposed to shield his mind. J had laughed when Harry asked if they were going to be practicing the mind art.

' _You don't need to practice Occlumency with me around. This mindscape is our territory and with the training you have put into controlling the different elemental aspects of your shields you are now able to form overlapping shields designed to block every single possible combination of magic targeted at you and nullify it all'_

"I made a decision Ron." Harry replied simply with a smile. Ron just looked confused and let it go. He moved forward to embrace his friend and after they separated thumped him on the shoulder.

"It's gonna be bloody awesome with you staying over. I can't wait for the World Cup. Ireland's gonna win for sure." Ron started babbling about Quidditch as his father was talking with the Dursleys. Harry tuned Ron out and started to pay attention to what Mr Weasley was saying, unsure if Vernon would react negatively or not.

"Fix it right up for you after the boys leave. Don't worry about the mess. I'll clean that up for you as well." The Dursleys just sat there in shock over the mess in their clean house, causing Harry and Ron to snicker at the looks on their faces. Mr Weasley looked slightly awkward and turned in relief as Fred and George reentered the room with Harry's trunk and broom as well as Hedwig's cage carried between them. Harry immediately relieved George of the birdcage with Ron retrieving the broom from Fred gazing at it lovingly.

"Right then, are we all set?" Mr Weasley asked all the boys and they nodded in affirmative. He then turned his wand to the empty space that used to hold the fireplace and stated clearly **'incendio'**. Flames shot out of his wand and started burning merrily as if everything wasn't destroyed.

"Right then Fred. You first. You and the trunk" Mr Weasley suggested pulling out a bag of powder that he threw into the flames. As the Twins carried the trunk closer to the fire Fred stepped in and clearly stated "The Burrow" and spun into the flames and out of site. George followed soon after but not before 'dropping' a bag of bright sweets that looked too innocent to not be a joke item. He scrambled around picking up as many as he could before bounding to the flames and shouting "The Burrow" disappearing into the flames. Ron was about to go next when he heard a choking noise. Turning around he saw Dudley on the ground with a three foot long appendage coming out of his mouth. Mr Weasley sensing what Ron wanted to do shouted at him.

"Get going Ron. Just go. I'll see you at home. You as well Harry. Off you go." Ron reluctantly shouted "The Burrow" still carrying the broom and with a last look at the now 4-foot long tongue disappeared just like his brothers. Harry, who had no intention on sticking around took one last look around and refreshed the flames with another handful of powder and shouted "The Burrow" and as he spun out of sight he saw an fleeting image of Mr Weasley waving his wand around clearing up the mess that had been made as well as setting Dudley's tongue back to normal. Anything after that was whisked out of sight as he was spinning in place before being shot out of the fireplace at the Burrow knocking over the Twins and Ron who had been standing in front of the fireplace waiting for Harry to arrive, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

Groaning could be heard from the boys on the floor as a large crack came from outside signifying the return of Mr Weasley. He chuckled as he came across the image of the image of 4 boys lying in a heap in front of the fire place.

"You alright boys? No one's seriously hurt right?" said Mr Weasley with a broad smile on his face as four moans of pain could be heard as the boys tried to extract themselves from the pile. J meanwhile was belting out laughter inside Harry's mind causing Harry to pout at both J's laughter and the fact that he's terrible at wizarding transport. Broad hands pulled him to his feet as he looked around. As his eyes traveled up the arms that helped him stand he noticed large shiny burns that helped him identify which brother he was currently getting acquainted with.

"Charlie right? You're the dragon handler." Charlie merely smiled and dusted Harry's shoulders before replying. "Yup that's right. No need to guess who you are though." Laughed Charlie with a smile on his face. Harry replied in kind as Charlie continued the introductions.

"The tall one over there with the fang earring is Bill. He works in Egypt with Gringotts." Harry shook first Charlie's, then Bill's hands before saying firmly.

"Its a pleasure to meet you both. Ron's told me stories about the both of you and its nice to put names to faces." The two of them laughed and sat back down at the table. "Hope it was the good stories that he talked about" said Bill with a smile.

As everyone sat back down at the table Mr Weasley cleared his throat and started discussing the plan for the week. "Right then. We'll be leaving for the camp site tomorrow morning which should give us plenty of time to set up the tents that we'll be staying in until the day after the game is finished for the portkey back. Any questions?" There was silence as everyone waited for someone else to say something and when it was clear that no one had any questions the Weasly patriarch dismissed everyone to do whatever they wanted. Mrs Weasley on the other hand, short plump woman with a slightly more crimson than her husband's flame colored hair called order to the minors.

"Kids, if you could help bring out the cutlery. Bill, Charlie if you could help conjure some tables outside that would be lovely."

"Yes mum/Mrs Weasley" came the chorused reply as they all slowly trooped out each carrying bits and pieces. By the time everything had been brought out, the stars had emerged, with lanterns floating above the table to provide additional lighting for the meal, with the table itself groaning under the generous spread prepared by Mrs Weasley. Harry found himself seated next to Hermione, who after being questioned had arrived the day before, and Bill with the Twins and Charlie opposite them. Ron and Ginny rounded off one end with Mr and Mrs Weasley completing the other.

With dinner progressing smoothly with laughter filling the air Harry and Hermione found themselves talking to Bill about curse-breaking and the different things that have been found in the tombs. "Say Bill, have you ever found something magical as if it's been given a physical shape?" inquired Harry as a debate about the upcoming World Cup slowly got louder across the table. Bill turned towards Harry with a smile on his face as Fred had just shoved a bowl of mashed potato into Charlie's face.

"Can't say I have Harry. There have been rumors floating around the banks about finding civilizations that believed in each person having a soul spirit but there haven't been any sightings in at least a century. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing important. We came across this term last year at Hogwarts and was just curious if it was rare or not." Hermione interrupted before Harry could reply. Harry merely shrugged at Bill's suspicious look as if yo say what can you do. Bill merely chuckled and shook his head.

"OK then. I'm not one to pry but if you ever need a question answered don't forget where to find me." He then turned towards the Burrow at the sound of the door opening to see Mrs Weasley levitating what seemed to be a huge snitch. As she got closer though Harry realized that it was a cake and was shocked to realize that it was his birthday. Ever since J had come into his life he was too busy to pay attention to the date since the time seemed to fly by.

Harry started back into reality as everyone started singing Happy Birthday and merely smiled and basked in the warmth that was radiated from both the people around him and from J inside of his core. He blew out the candles and happily dug into the cake that was handed to him.

' _Harry. Come into your mindscape when you go to sleep tonight. We need to talk about something.'_ J whispered in a gentle tone that seemed to mix with the breeze. Harry, feeling sleepy from overeating grunted in acknowledgement and helped with the cleaning up as everyone slowly rose to their feet. As everyone slowly made their way back inside to the warmth of Morpheus's embrace, Harry pondered on what J wanted to talk about. After completing his daily, or nightly in this case, needs he crawled into the second bed that was placed into Ron's room which was pressed against the slanted roof and wriggled slightly getting himself comfortable. When the required comfort levels were reached he slowed his breathing as he began meditating. He soon saw the glowing globe that was his and slowly started approaching. Harry's stomach dropped as he continued getting closer and soon the feeling tapered off as he phased through the globes edge that represented both his mind and his magic.

'J! I'm here. What did you want to talk about? If its about asking Bill if something similar happened then I'm sorry!" Harry blabbed, worried that J would reject him if he wasn't supposed to talk about their bond. As he looked around hoping to see J he soon felt tremors approaching that shouted his partner's arrival.

J had a serious look on his face as he approached Harry, normally cheerful eyes cold with the importance that this conversation carried. As the distance between them shortened to less than a foot away J simply snorted and blew the air out at Harry. This took him by surprise and he ended up falling onto his back as he stared up at the horn that was hovering over him. J bellowed with laughter as warmth once again filled his eyes.

' _Harry my boy. Worry not about others for all that is important is the two of us. Now, the reason I summoned you here is that we need to talk about your wandless magic's activation phrase.'_ Harry stood as if a blizzard had chilled him to the core.

"Activation phrase... You're joking right..." _'I am absolutely serious. While you aren't at the stage where you'll need it for unleashing all your power, you can still state a phrase and manipulate your aura for the dramatic effect.'_ Harry merely sweat-dropped then facepalmed after a few seconds.

"I really shouldn't have watched that Bleach anime... Phrase activation... I swear..." J could hear the mutters and ignored them as he stood in front of Harry with a solemn expression as if they were talking about the end of the world. After a few more moments muttering about spirits and cartoons Harry gave in to the inevitable with a sigh.

"I assume you've already thought of a phrase if you're bringing it up." ' _Of course hohoho. I would not summon you if I hadn't'._ Harry snorted at this and shook his head as he sat down and looked at J. "Alright then, show me what you've got".

J sat down with a loud thump followed by a shock wave that would of definitely knocked Harry down had he still been standing.

' _Now, as you are currently with only the vest totem summoned I think you can use the phrase_ _ **Charge, Juggernaut**_ _. What do you think?'_ Harry simply sat there and stared at the rhinoceros that looked like a small child in a toy store. As the minutes passed slowly and J started to look nervous from the lack of response, a huge sigh was released. J got up and started cantering around giddily as if he knew of his victory. Harry simply smiled gently as he watched his partner circle around him.

"Not to ruin the mood or anything but how am I supposed to release my aura? It's not as if I know how?"

 _'That's a simple matter Harry. The totems will absorb small amounts of your magic at all times and store it inside them. By releasing the magic at the same time as you summon the totems it can seem like you are entering a second stage so to speak. If.. no... When you are capable of summoning multiple totems we'll be using the phrase_ _ **Break Through the Enemies Line, Juggernaut Maximus**_ _._ ' A snort and a smothered laugh interrupted J's passionate speech which soon ended up as Harry rolling around on the grass laughing his head off. J pouted initially at Harry's reaction but soon started to chuckle himself alongside his human counterpart.

'Hahahahah. So it's... **Charge,** hehe, **Juggernaut** right." Inquired Harry still snickering at the thought. ' _That's right Harry. We can practice here in your mindscape but you'll still want to find somewhere to practice summoning your totem. I think you'll be ready to summon another one soon, as well.'_ "Alright J. I'll be back tomorrow night to practice. I think I'll get some sleep since we're going to the game tomorrow."

' _Alright Harry. Sleep well and thanks for humoring me.'_ "Anytime J. I'll see you tomorrow." With the goodbyes said, Harry rose from his mindscape and slowly opened his eyes to see Ron walking into his room with a towel on his head. "Night Ron." Said Harry, fighting through a yawn.

"Night 'Arry. See you tomorrow" Ron replied through his towel. Harry merely grunted and rolled onto his side as sleep eagerly claimed its next victim.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 4

Harry jumped in his bed at the sound of a crack breaking through his sleep induced haze before smacking his head on the tilted roof of Ron's room. Mrs Weasley didn't bother apologizing as she raged through the roof like a dragon.

"Get up. Now. I'm going to wake up the girls now but so help me if you aren't up by the time I get back." Harry rubbed the bump of his and groaned as the still dark sky shed little light through the window that had just been opened.

'Morning J' Harry mumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. J laughed and replied in a chirpy voice Harry swore he used to annoy him.

' _Morning Harry. Did you sleep well?'_

'Quite. What time is it?'

' _Around 5 I think. Hurry down and get some food, I was thinking we could practice suppressing your aura on the way to the campsite.'_ Harry perked up at the thought of learning something new. Not that he had mastered any of his other abilities in the few weeks that he had been learning.

' _Stop looking so depressed. I've told you that you're coming along splendidly. You learnt how to shape the shields in your second week and how to multicast and align the elemental affinities in your third and fifth weeks respectively. Honestly Harry.'_ Harry beamed at the praise that he received.

'I know that but I can't help but feel like i need to know how to use all of my abilities for the coming year. I can just feel like something bad is going to happen.'

' _That's not my job and you know it. How you use your abilities is up to you. I'm sure you just need some inspiration from somewhere. Telling you how to summon your totem was the only thing I'm allowed to tell you.'_

'Hang on a moment. If you aren't sure that there are others like you then who said that you can't tell me.' Harry could tell that he had caught J in a lie and the silence that followed his statement simply proved his point.

' _Fine. You caught me. I don't want to tell you how to use my powers. Are you happy now.'_ Harry heard the pout even if he couldn't speak to J face to face at the moment. 'Can I ask why?' His voice low and gentle like he knew that this was a sore topic but still needed to know.

' _If I tell you everything then you're going to get complacent. It's the same as using only low level spells even if you know higher tier charms.'_

Harry pondered what he was just told as he entered the kitchen where a bountiful stack of bacon sandwiches lay on the table. Wolfing down a couple of sandwiches while leaning against the counter provided Harry with enough time to think of a response before heading back upstairs to change and brush his teeth. It was halfway through brushing that he finally replied softly.

'I understand J. I'm sorry for being so pushy. Do you think we'll be fine this year?'.

' _I can't say Harry. I've been feeling the same thing as you have but I don't want you to rely on me for everything. There's going to come a time where I won't be there and you'll have to survive by yourself without my advice.'_ Harry choked on the bubbles in his mouth at the weary tone that J had spoken in.

'What do you mean by myself' Harry sputtered. ' _Peace Harry. I would never leave you willingly. It's a hypothetical scenario. You know I'll protect you with my life.'_ Harry couldn't help but surrender to the point but the ominous feeling coiled around his heart and his stomach clenched.

' _Get back and downstairs you squirt. Stop thinking about it. If something happens then I might grace you with a suggestion or two but until then stop thinking about it'_. He was reluctant to drop the subject but he knew that J could make his life painful if he kept brooding about it. When Harry was learning to first summon the shields, J was most insistent that he would learn better if he knew how the physical shields felt intimately. This of course led to him summoning shields in front his face as he walked causing him to run into them face first and fall to the ground.

The memories of his training sessions brought a smile to his face as he leaned against the wall waiting for the rest of the Weasleys to come down into the dining room. Hermione came down a few minutes later having brushed her teeth first before coming down to eat.

"What are you smiling at Mr Potter?" she drawled in a terrible attempt at imitating their Potions Professor. Her voice was light and gently like the sunlight that was slowly streaming through the window, as if throwing a halo around her and lighting up her eyes until they were a gorgeous honey brown. Harry swallowed at the image before him and his brain burned out as his eyes glazed over. Hermione rushed over and immediately and started waving her hand in front of his face, her expression bemused and worried at the smoke that seemed to coming from his ears.

"Harry! HARRY! Are you alright? What's wrong. Should I get Mrs Weasley. Oh no. Maybe you shouldn't go to the game!" Harry slowly regained coherence as her questions slowed down and grabbed her hand before she moved away.

"It's alright Hermione. I'm fine. I just never noticed how beautiful you were until now." At hearing this Hermione's cheeks turned red and she sputtered as she tried to form a coherent reply.

"Harry James Potter. How can you say something like that. Just because you compliment me doesn't mean I'm gonna stop worrying about you." She fired off with the blush still on her face and a small smile gracing her lips. Harry simply smirked and brushed her hand against his lips before letting go and walking out the door to wait for others in the cool morning air.

' _Smooth loverboy. Very smooth.'_ J was chuckling as Harry blushed in his mindscape.

"Oh my god. I can't believe I did that. What if she hates me. What if she doesn't want to speak to me anymore." Harry was horrified and scared and was ranting to J about what had just happened. J on his part was simply laughing as Harry kept pacing in the grass.

' _Relax. I highly doubt that she hates you after what you just did. I'm 70% sure that she enjoyed it.'_ '70%. Only 70%!' Harry's voice had reached a new high as he squeaked out the number. ' _OK fine it might be 80%. Now get back out there. You have a guest'_ J rumbled back in his warm, comforting way.

Harry turned his attention back outwards and noticed that Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys were exiting the Burrow. Hermione leaned against the wall next to him slightly closer than normal, not that Harry noticed this as he was panicking about what she was gonna say. As the Weasleys started marching to a beat that the twins were chanting, Harry and Hermione got off the wall and started walking towards them. Hermione grabbed his hand and urged for him to hurry up as they rushed to join the crowd marching up the hill.

"BE GOOD. ALL OF YOU. BE CAREFUL AND STAY SAFE." Yelled Mrs Weasley at the retreating group's back and they all turned and waved, laughing before continuing up the hill. Harry noticed that Hermione still hadn't let go of his hand and smirked as they started swinging in time to the beat. He also realized that all of the Weasleys had noticed and heard hushed whispers for what he could have sworn were bets. He looked at Ron and saw him turn away with a frown on his face. Harry was puzzled at his reaction since they were just playing around even if deep down he wished that it could be more than just playing. Little did he know that Hermione was having similar thoughts with a smile on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes.

The group reached the top of the hill and split up on the orders of Mr Weasley.

"What we're looking for is something that won't be noticed by muggles. Spread out and find something that you think would fit." Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the rest of the group but still remaining in view.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" She asked softly as if scared that it was all a big joke on her.

"Of course I do. Do I look like the type that would play on your feelings like that." Harry stated firmly.

'No. No you don't.' Hermione thought to herself. Her eyes took in the fierce look in shone in the emeralds that stared back at her. The way his lips lifted slightly at the corners of his mouth in a smirk that seemed like it was frozen in place but full of warmth. His messy raven locks that looked like they fought to escape from his head but remained tethered to the earth. Instead of saying how she really felt at that moment, she merely turned with a smile on her lips that told Harry that she understood everything that wasn't said. They looked around the bushes for a little bit before a shout from one of the twins brought their attention back to the Weasleys and they hurried back to rejoin the group.

Coming up the side opposite the Burrow were two figures that Harry felt as if he could recognize one of them. As the two reached the summit of the hill Mr Weasley went forward to greet them.

"Amos. Glad you could make it."

"Arthur. A pleasure to see you on this wonderful day. Had to wake up at 3 in the morning. Dreadful time to be awake. Absolutely terrible." Amos stepped towards Arthur and shook the offered hand.

"Are all these yours?" gesturing to the group of teens and adults behind Arthur. Mr Weasley merely chuckled as he replied.

"No. No. Only the redheads."

"Of course. May I introduce my son Cedric. He's at Hogwarts as well. Hufflepuff and proud." The group waved and mumbled greetings as some were still struggling to wake up. "Right then. Everyone gather round and grab hold of this old boot." Arthur called out after checking his pocket watch.

"This is a port-key. It's used for those who don't like apparating or for those who don't have access to a Floo." He said to Harry and Hermione, clearing away the confused looks that they had on their faces.

"Right. Here we go." As they were all touching parts of the boot they felt a jerking in their navel as if they were being pulled by a fishing rod. As they were spiraling through the the colorful tube they started to slow down before they landed with a thump. Well most of them anyway. Harry being the wonderfully skilled wizard transporter that he is ended up staggering on landing and as he reached to grab on to Hermione, who on her own wasn't as stable as she liked, ended up pulling her down with him. This led to a domino effect that ended up with them crashing into the twins who fell on top of Charlie who managed to avoid Bill who leapt to the side as he had noticed Harry as he began falling.

What resulted was another pile of groaning Weasleys in as many days but what amused almost everyone else was the fact that Hermione had landed face first on top of Harry with their lips touching. This position caused them to freeze at the top of the pile as it looked like he had caught her and simply leaned in for a kiss. At Arthur's cough they sprang apart with red faces trying to act like nothing happened and that they didn't enjoy it even if it was clear to everyone that they did. While everyone else was laughing Ron had turned away with a scowl and it was clear to Harry that he was angry but at what Harry wasn't sure. Harry pulled himself up from the pile and made sure Hermione was steady before turning to help the twins and Charlie up. After everyone was up and steady they moved off in the direction that Mr Weasley was pointing in. He noticed Ron and Ginny walking alongside Bill and Mr Weasley and when he went to apologize he was stopped by Charlie with a shake of his head.

"You don't need to apologize Harry. You haven't done anything wrong." Harry looked towards them once again and decided to listen when he saw Bill shaking his head at Harry before turning to talk about Quidditch with Ron who didn't notice the look Bill had given Harry.

"Alright. I don't even know why Ron's acting like this. He's never acted like this before."

"Don't worry about it. It's happened to everyone" Charlie said with a smirk. "Now, are you excited for Quidditch or are you excited for Quidditch!" Harry just laughed and pulled Hermione by the hand. If she wasn't going to complain and pull her hand away then neither was he.

* * *

After making their way to the assigned campsite and setting up the tent quickly thanks to Harry's handy skills and Hermione's camping know-how, they were soon set off on errands. Fred, George and Ginny were sent off to get firewood while Harry, Hermione and Ron went off to get water from a tap marked on the map a kilometer away from their saw some of their classmates such as fellow Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan, the Patil Twins Padma and Parvati and the Ravenclaw Seeker Cho Chang who was glared at by Hermione when she had the nerve to kiss Harry on the cheek goodbye. The kiss was ignored by Harry who was at the time distracted by Hermione and the thought that she was incredibly beautiful even when she was angry when the anger wasn't directed at him. When Cho realized that she was ignored she scowled and flounced away with Hermione smirking at her back in gleeful vengeance. The trio made their way back to the Weasley tents walking carefully to make sure that they didn't spill any water. Ron had cheered up slightly when Cho had pecked Harry on the lips but returned to being sullen when he realized that Harry hadn't noticed and his expression darkened as they made their way back making the return trip even more awkward and tense than it had been on the way to the tap.

The tension had thankfully lessened by the time they made it back to the camp and they gladly separated with Harry and Hermione sitting down to talk to the elder Weasley's and Ron moving off to sit with the Twins and Ginny in the tent. The talks turned to rumors about rare magics found all over the world to Hermione's delight and Bill and Charlie's surprise at Harry's insight on the intellectual topic. When Harry asked why it seemed so shocking the elder brothers sheepishly said that from the letters they had received Harry hadn't seemed all that interested in the more theoretical aspects of magic. Harry had just laughed it off since he knew his interest had flourished under the attention of J and his wisdom which had thrown him into his studies. Thanks to his influence Harry had owl-ordered the introductory books on Ancient Runes and the history behind them. When he had admitted to his research into the topics Hermione reentered the conversation with renewed vigor and began talking about the different uses that runes had. It was at this point that Charlie begged off and went in search of Ron, Ginny and the Twins for a talk about Quidditch. Percy and Arthur had moved off to talk about the ministry and were whispering about some sort of event after the World Cup with glances at the pair of non-Weasleys as if to tease the pair by denying them knowledge. The attempt backfired unfortunately as the trio were too engrossed in discussing runes to notice.

"Found that the defensive capabilities of runes had near limitless potential. Even if I can't really use them for its offensive capabilities directly, I've noticed that you can apply the runes to objects and pretty much throw the item that's been warded." Harry was saying to an enraptured Hermione and a knowing Bill.

"It's quite unusual that you can only use them defensively directly but I suppose that's just your specialty. I would suggest that you get a basic knowledge of how to use them directly even if you can't actually cast them." Hermione's eyes went back and forth as they discussed uses of runes that she hadn't even thought possible.

The conversation had continued quite well into the day with the sun shining brightly overhead when they all decided to get up and stretch. Arthur checked his watch and saw that it was time for them to get moving.

"Come on kids. It's time to go to the stadium" he called out, getting up and stretching his arms over his head. As everyone gathered round Arthur did a head count and after confirming that everyone was present started moving off to join the crowd as they made their way to the towering stands that made the forest seem small. After half an hour of walking they made their way to the guards at the entrance and showed them their tickets.

"Minister's box. Straight up the stairs and don't stop until you reach the top." The guards said with a smile. The Weasley group cheered as they walked past the guards with smiles on their faces as they started climbing. The smiles soon fell off the younger Weasleys as the stairs kept going and going until they finally made it to the top box where the Ministers of Britain and Bulgaria were already present along with their guards. They had just taken their seats when Lucius and Draco Malfoy swept into the box as if they owned the entire stadium. Arthur had just turned around to see who had entered when he met Lucius' eyes. Lucius, not wanting to seem rude in front of two Ministers offered his hand.

"Arthur." With a sneer that was so pronounced it made Harry wonder if he practiced at home in front of a mirror.

"Lucius." Replied Arthur, his expression stony. Harry figured Mr Weasley hadn't forgotten that it was Mr Malfoy that had given Ginny the diary two years ago. The two men shook hands and let go almost immediately as if they would catch some sort of disease from staying in contact with each other.

"Potter. Weasels. Mudblood." Draco sneered in a pale imitation of his father. Harry who had been watching the adults converse slowly turned around to stare Draco in the eye. "Malfoy. You'd best watch what you say because I won't take anything this year. You have been warned." Harry rumbled as his staring contest ended with Draco dropping his gaze first.

After Draco had dropped his gaze Harry turned away and pushed Hermione down into her seat as she and everyone who wasn't talking with the Ministers stared at Harry in shock. He gave no acknowledgement of the staring and merely sat down next to her and draped his arm across her shoulders. When she went to question Harry about his behavior he merely smirked and looked out across the pitch. After snapping out of her daze she mentally shrugged and sat down and leaned into Harry with everyone else following suit. Thankfully Ron was on the opposite end of the row and so hadn't noticed the position Harry and Hermione were in. After Ludo Bagman had announced the players and started the match Harry started to tune out the game in favor of idly playing with Hermione's hair and communicating with J. He was so preoccupied with conversing with J and attempting the task he had set that he hadn't noticed the side effects that affected almost everyone else.

' _Harry. I want you to set a protective mental shield around yourself and keep it running the whole game.'_ Harry didn't question the unusual request and decided to humor J and set it up just as the mascots came out. When the Bulgarian mascots came out and started to affect nearly every male in the stadium Hermione turned to Harry while preparing herself to be angry at him for being affected like everyone else. She was quite surprised when she noticed he had a faraway look and only came to when she poked him.

"Why aren't you affected like everyone else?" Her surprise was clear in her eyes and Harry just gave her that irresistible smirk that lit up her heart.

"I've been practicing mental shielding and have been told that I'm proficient at it. Why? What's wrong?" Hermione was speechless and merely gestured around her. Harry raised an eyebrow and turned to look at what she was gesturing at. His other eyebrow rose when he noticed that Ron had been attempting to jump out of the box if Charlie and Ginny hadn't grabbed onto him. Draco was waving his arms around trying to get the Veela's attention before his father pulled him down. Harry simply sorted and shook his head at the folly of his male yearmates. He settled back down into Hermione's side and went back to resume his additional task with J.

' _Now what I want you to do is to make a 3 dimensional rectangular shield.'_

'So a prism then? How big did you want it?'

' _Big enough so that you can fit more inside it.'_

'Why do I want to put a shield inside a shield?' This back and forth continued as Harry continued to attempt to create the first prism. It took Harry 5 minutes inside his mindscape to complete his first attempt while he was leisurely watching the match as a projection as the time difference allowed him to watch the game play-by-play instead of the blurs that everyone was watching that signified a high-tier match. His concentration snapped back to J and his task when his partner shattered the prism that had been floating over his hand.

'What was the point of asking for me to make the prism if you were just gonna break it.' Harry asked in confusion. J simply laughed and told him to do it again.

' _This time i want you to make two prisms. This time make one slightly smaller and place it inside the first. The goal for this is to stabilize it and make it stronger. When you master this skill you'll be able to form 4 or 5 layers that should be able to protect you no matter.'_ Harry was suitably impressed at this idea and instantly began to attempt it. It took him much longer as the shields kept breaking each other. By the time Harry gave up in frustration the score had become 70-10 in Ireland's favor.

' _Keep at it Harry. This is a medium-level skill and I don't expect you to get it right away. Take your time and it'll come to you. You've done enough practice. It's time for you to relax. Go and watch the rest of the game and enjoy your lady friend'_ J sniggered as Harry turned red and fled the plains before turning around and waving. He flicked his horn in farewell and smiled as Harry phased through the barrier.

Harry returned to the world of the living as the Irish chasers scored another goal bringing the score to 120-10. He tightened his grip on Hermione's shoulders and smirked when she looked at him in return before turning back to the match and watching Ireland score once more. What soon began was a high pressure segment of the match as both seekers had seen the snitch and were actively chasing its tail. As they both zoomed after the snitch the chasers were passing the quaffle so quickly that it seemed like a red blur between their hands. Over the next 5 minutes it was as if the entire stadium held it's breath as the Irish chasers punched 4 more goals past the keeper before Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, caught the snitch bringing the final score to 170-160. When the whistle was blown Bagman boomed out

"IT'S IRELAND. THE 1994 WORLD CUP FINAL GOES TO THE IRISH. WHAT A MATCH THIS WAS FOLKS AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT YOU WON'T SEE ANYTHING LIKE THIS FOR A WHILE. THANK YOU ALL FOR ATTENDING AND GOOD NIGHT!" As he removed his wand from his throat the **Sonorus** charm cancelled itself and he pocketed his wand just in time to shake the hands of both teams before handing the cup to the Irish team who held it aloft with pride in the photos that were taken soon after. With the photos out of the way and the teams had trooped out of the box, Arthur, Harry, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys made their way after the Malfoys who looked as if they were attempting to find a place where they could breathe properly. The trip back to camp was filled with play-by-plays by Ron and the Twins while the elder Weasley's sent smirks at Harry and Hermione who still hadn't removed his arm from her shoulders as they walked at the end of the group. Night had fallen by the time they made it back and soon everyone was making their way to sleep in the bunks that were located in the magically enlarged tents. As the pair stopped outside the tents Harry removed his arm and lifted Hermione's hand to his lips, winked at her and merrily walked inside the boys tent where he changed into his sleepwear and dropped straight to sleep with a smile that was mirrored by Hermione who had done the same as him except she had a blush that warmed up her pillow much faster than she had intended.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 5

Harry was shaken awake as if someone was trying to bring him back to life. Shouts filled the air and blanketed the campground with fear and hysteria.

"WAKE UP!" shouted Mr Weasley as he rushed over to shake Ron awake. Harry groaned and fumbled for his glasses.

"What's going on Mr Weasley?" he mumbled.

"Death Eaters" Replied Arthur tersley.

'Hey J, do you know what Death Eaters are?'

' _Not a clue but from the sound of it seems terribly important so pay attention.'_ Ron was finally shaken awake after Harry had found and put on his glasses. After his sight became clearer he saw what seemed to be fire from the opening of the tent and was shocked at the amount of damage he could see.

' _Summon your totem Harry. It looks like you'll need the protection._ '

'Even if we do encounter danger how can I fight back? My offensive spells are all wacky now as you know!'J just sighed and explained it as if Harry was a child.

' _I guess its time for another lesson. Now have you ever been hit with a wall?'_

'What do you mean have I ever been hit. You used to make me run into them all the time!'

' _So you know they hurt right?'_ Harry just sighed impatiently and rolled his hand in a get to the point gesture.

' _Right. Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted'_ Harry rolled his eyes this time. ' _Instead of sending spells against your enemies why not just make the shields smaller and send them instead. It'll be much more effective and theoretically it should also block the spells coming at you if you aim it right. Start small. Or in this case large and focus_ ' Harry raised an eyebrow at hearing theoretically.

' _Look. You know how pirates used to fight while at sea with cannons right. Think something like that, Just practice here for now and when you can aim it properly you can go back and help_ ' Harry couldn't help but sigh at J's stubbornness but began practicing anyway. It took Harry a similar amount of time as it did for him to learn how to layer the shields between one another and by that point he was getting worried as to how much time had already passed.

' _That's good enough Harry. Now get out there and show them who's boss. Don't forget the phrase as well. To be well respected you must be dramatic. You know what. We may as well summon another totem. Make some gloves that connect to your sleeves. That will help you with controlling the way the shields move.'_ Harry did as he was asked and focused on gauntlets similar in appearance to the way the suits of armor looked at Hogwarts.

With a flash of silver that made all present turn their eyes away Harry materialized the second part of his totem. When they looked back they all froze at what lay before them. Harry had straightened and looked imposing in his chest plate and armored arms that gave off the impression of nobility and strength. His back straightened from the confidence that J inspired in him and his gaze was sharp like the knights of legend had been told to look and he let his aura manifest slightly. He looked at those standing before him and simply stated "lets move" sending them all into action. Arthur and Bill opened the tent flap and peered outside and motioned for the kids to move forward.

"Move towards the forest and stay out of sight near the treeline. We'll come find you when the danger has died down." Harry nodded and did as he was asked reluctantly as he had wanted to fight.

' _Don't mix up your priorities Harry. Your goal is to protect your friends first and take the offensive second'_ All J received as a sigh in response but was obeyed. His friends looked to him for orders on what to do and Harry merely narrowed his eyes as he thought back on what J told him to do when in combat.

' _The first thing you should do is find somewhere defensible where you can fortify yourselves yet still have an avenue open to retreat. When you've reached the first goal the second is to space yourselves out so that even if one person gets taken down its easy to plug the gap and still stay strong. After all that is done then you can go nuts.'_ Harry snorted when he remembered the nonchalant way J informed him on his plan of action and shook his head when Hermione looked like she was about to ask him what was so funny. He motioned for everyone to keep quiet as they made their way into the trees.

"Find somewhere where we can see what's happening but can also defend ourselves." His voice was calm and confident as if they were talking about the weather and not on the verge of combat. His armor looked bulky and uncomfortable yet was skintight and left no gaps that an accurate shot could slide into. The group walked for 10 minutes before finding a trio of trees that grew close to each other and was surrounded by others, moderately spaced that looked easily defendable.

"Well look who it is. It's the Blood traitors and Mudbloods all bunched together like sheep" Draco drawled stepping out from behind one of the trees. He had barely finished his insult before being stunned by Fred with a gesture from Harry before being dragged into their circle.

"Tie him up and take away his wand. We don't want him to curse us in the back when we're busy." Harry ordered as he set about raising walls of dark green between the trees so that they had cover to hide behind.

"Take cover everyone, I think we have company approaching. Now!" he barked out when he turned and saw that everyone was staring at him.

"Why are we protecting Malfoy. He'll probably fine with Daddy Dearest being one of the people in the masks." Spat Ron, not looking happy with how things were proceeding.

"It's the right thing to do Ron." Harry replied slowly, eyes scanning the trees for anything out of the ordinary.

"What are these walls Harry?" Ginny asked, poking of the walls which was hard yet malleable to her touch.

"They're shields I've managed to summon. I won't be as much help since I've lost my skill in offensive casting but my defences have never been better. Now get into cover."

They all did as he asked and soon after came loud, rough laughter that betrayed a group of men who were levitating what looked like some of their female year mates. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott had been looking for Susan's aunt in the campsite when they were captured. The fear they felt could be seen in their eyes as they feared for what was about to happen to them.

"Fred, George. Summon them into the base after the first volley. Ginny, Ron, Hermione use whatever you can to distract them. I'll take care of the defense so go trigger happy." Harry barked out as if he was used to being in danger and being who Harry was no one questioned him.

"On my mark. NOW!" Cries of **Flipendo, Incendio** and **Accio** filled the air as the two girls first began to drop then felt them pulled into a circle of trees that looked like a wartime base in those of war novels that Susan sometimes read.

 **"Charge, Juggernaut** " boomed a deep voice from near the edge of the circle as the men swore and ducked behind some trees. Harry's anger flooded his body at the thought of what could of happened to the girls and tinted his emerald eyes with a sparkling of steely silver that shone with power. As his friends continued casting spells at the men Harry took a moment to flick his wand at the three in the middle of the circle forming a dome around them to prevent them from being hit by stray spellfire. With that done he continued to wave his wand in squares with moderately sized cubes appearing out of no where and spinning around his friends. With one more flick he brought forth slightly smaller globes of a etheral silver and green that to Harry's aura sight denoted protection against magic and debris and started waving his wand like a maestro.

Those who were not busy casting spells gaped at his appearance as he gestured with his wand as if controlling an orchaestra. A wave sent the cubes in front of the twins where an exploding curse was intercepted before flicking them back in place to block a cutting curse from hitting Ron and Ginny. His wand rose and so did the spheres that had been hovering near him before raining down on the men's cover with a twitch of his faithful holly and pheonix feather. Loud cracks could be heard to his right but Harry was too focused on the battle to consciously acknowledge the new arrivals. His senses just registered that the had harmful intentions before flicking his wand to the right without taking away his concentration on protecting those who trusted him to cover their backs. Red fist sized spheres made their way between the trees before exploding as they came into contact with hastily conjured shields and trees. Screams of panic and agony tore the calming night as those who were hit moaned on the ground while both groups sans Harry noticed lit wands approaching the center and shouting.

"MINISTRY AURORS! LOWER YOUR WANDS NOW!" Harry had been searching for more signatures that screamed threat and so hadn't noticed the approaching group. When one of the aurors moved closer and stepped on a twig Harry snapped to attention moving his wand quickly to the approaching threat. Before he could cast anything however, Hermione stepped up and crooned gently to Harry.

"It's ok Harry. They're the good guys. They aren't here to hurt us." She gave an encouraging smile and gently pulled his hand down at Harry's look and when he saw the remaining Weasleys in the group he sagged against Hermione instantly making her worry, but relaxed when he gave her the reassuring smirk that he always did when he wanted to show he was alright. Another wave of his wand caused the walls to disappear and he would have fallen on his face had Bill and Charlie caught him as Hermione was too light to support his full weight.

"Well I can tell there's a story here but I'm afraid it'll have to wait until we round up all the criminals you managed to capture. Does anyone need medical attention?" Came a sharp feminine voice that to Harry sounded as if it would fit in on a pirate ship. J heard this and snorted, sending a comforting rumble throughout Harry's chest and filling Harry with warmth at the praise that came with it.

' _You did well for your first taste of proper combat with your new skills. You remembered all the lessons that I beat into you regarding battle. I'm proud of you.'_ Harry gave a tired smile at this and directed it at the Head Auror who was a stern looking redhead who looked to be in her early 30's when it was Harry's turn to be asked.

"Auntie" shouted Susan as she and Hannah ran out of the trees to embrace the leading witch.

"Susan? Hannah? What are you doing here." Asked Madam Bones who seemed stumped at their appearance.

"We were captured by the men over there" replied Susan through her tears as she pointed to the north.

"I don't... even... want to... think about... what they...would do to...us..." sniffled Hannah as she added the story Susan was giving her aunt.

"It's only thanks to Harry and his friends that we were saved."

"We were looking for you in the campsite when we were immobilized. They started carrying us into the trees when we ran into each other and then we were summoned into the trees and what looked like a mini fort." Madam Bones' mononcle fell from its place as her eyebrow rose in surprise. "A fort you say" she drawled slowly as if unsure she should believe what was being said to her.

"Yeah it was amazing. It looked like one of those war centres in those novels I've read. You know the ones on my shelf at home. They were glowing with a soft green that gave off light and then there was Harry who was glowing silver and waving his wand around protecting everyone. I've never seen anything like it." At hearing Susan's tale of what happened Harry sighed before asking J what they should do.

' _It was bound to get out eventually. I know that the Weasleys have questions and Hermione looks like shes going to explode'_ came the snickered reply. ' _Just ask to remain anonymous until you absolutely have to reveal what you can do.'_ Inwardly cringing at the expected interrogation he motioned to be released by the elder Weasleys and stepped forward just as Madam Bones was asking where he was. He stepped forward to the head of their group and stood with steel in his spine. She was impressed with his posture and couldn't wait to see how he would step up to the occasion.

"Before I say anything, I want to have guaranteed privacy and secrecy spells. I don't want this to get out otherwise I'll have even less privacy than usual when we go back to Hogwarts and will be stared at by everyone for something else that I have that's practically unique." Susan and Hannah turned red at this as all the students present remembered their second year at Hogwarts with the basilisk and how he was shunned by almost everyone.

"That's fine, just give me a moment to send everyone away. Is it possible to keep a few of my trusted people with me?." Harry conceded as it was an acceptable compromise.

"As long as they can be trusted. The Weasleys can stay as well." Harry said with a smile.

At a gesture of her hand most of the Auror contingent went back after orders to clean up and round up any stragglers was given.

"This is Auror Shacklebolt and trainee Auror Tonks. They'll be the ones present to witness your explanation. Is that agreeable?" Harry nodded his acknowledgement and waited for the vows to be said.

"Is it too much trouble to ask you all a vow as well?" Harry asked the Weasley clan apologetically.

"It's really that important that I need one." Harry said firmly when Ron started to protest. He grumbled at it 'not being fair'and that 'he should be trusted with secrets' but followed suit in giving the vow of secrecy on his magic.

"Right then," he said with a smile.

"While I was still at the Dursleys, things happened that caused my magic to change. It felt like it changed and when I woke up later on my magic was given sentinence." There was no reaction except for a stunned silence that wouldn't be amiss before something strangely idiotic had happened. J laughed at this reaction and sent a message to Harry.

' _Summon me forth Harry. All you need to do is focus on me appearing and I'll do the rest.'_ Harry tilted his head and started concentrating. His aura visibly surged forth and started to concentrate at a spot a meter to his right. Strands of bright grey light seemed to wind itself tighter into a sphere that continued to grow until it was a decent 3 by 3 meter sphere before condensing and dispersing in an outward surge. What remained shocked everyone, even Harry. In the place of the sphere stood an African American man that stood proudly at 6 foot and 5 inches. He was clad in an suit of plate mail that shone a bright grey with a pentagonal emblem on his chest and cape that denoted a sideview of a rhinoceros head in black in a dull grey square on the bright grey background. He had a broad smile on his face and had a scar running down one eye and muscles that wouldn't look out of place as a blacksmith and was carrying a helmet that resembled his rhinoceros form's head. He then proceeded to give Harry a broad hug which was enthusiastically returned even if there was a hint of confusion on his face.

"Hello everyone. I'm J, Harry's magical partner." J stated simply as everyone looking on at the scene smiled at the touching moment.

"What... How... I didn't know you had a human form." Harry stammered confused at how J was human when he only appeared as a rhinoceros in his mindscape.

"HAHAHAH. Worry not about the how Harry for I don't really understand either." He boomed causing a few people to sweatdrop at his nonchalantness. He turned to smile at Madam Bones who had a slight blush at his rugged features and neatly kept, trimmed hair. She cleared her throat and started asking questions with a blush still visible on her face.

"Can I ask how you came to be?"

"Of course you can." J replied not saying anything more than necessary. There was a moment of silence until sniggers from the twins broke the tension and started everyone enough to start laughing themselves. Madam Bones merely snorted before asking the question again.

"How did you come to be?" J laughed again before answering.

"I came to be when Harry was in danger. There was some form of parasite in his head that was overpowered by his magic before being adapted and changed into what I am today."

"PARASITE" Harry blurted out horrified. Those around him didn't seem much better as those who could understand what was being talked about turned green.

"Twas a disgusting thing. All it represented was greed, anger and insanity. If Harry's thoughts at the time were anything along the lines of these ideals then I would have a very different form and you would have a very difficult time stopping him." J's smile turned hard at the end causing the adults present to understand what he was implying. Pose a threat and they would be removed. Permanently.

"Did this parasite have a vaguely humanoid shape?" asked an ashen faced Bill. J focused all his attention on Bill and there was a slight pressure in the air as he turned to inquire what Bill was talking about.

"What is this knowledge you have about the parasite. Speak now." Ordered J. Bill nodded and began reciting facts about horcruxes.

"They're terrible things. Those dark or insane enough to make these begin with a murder which shatters the soul before binding them to an object. They're commonly found in the tombs of Egypt and have a terrible impact on those around them as they seek to possess those who remain in close contact." People were stunned at what they had just turned and turned to Harry who had sat on the ground looking like he was going to faint. The implications were terrible as they all knew that there was only one person who was close enough to have attached one to Harry.

"Voldemort... I had a parasite of Voldemort inside me for 13 years." He struggled to his feet before proceeding to vomit against a tree at the sickening thoughts that came to his mind.

A broad hand gently rubbed Harry on the back as he continued to dry heave against the tree. A muffled sound from behind him caused Harry to turn and see Arthur and Ginny in a similar position as the implications had hit her at almost the same time causing her to remember how close she had been to resurrecting the latest Dark Lord.

"Fear not Harry. I am no longer an aspect of Voldemort and am yours and only yours for now and forever." His gentle murmurings let Harry relax against him.

"If that is all you needed to ask I believe it is time for us to take our leave. We should proceed back to the Burrow to relax and get over what happened tonight. I'm sure that tonight took a toll on everyone and that it would be best to unwind after such a trying day." Madam Bones acknowledged the dismissal as it was and turned to leave the clearing before smacking into an invisible wall.

"Oops. Let me get that for you." J waved his hand and there was a crackling sound before walls that were not there a moment ago shattered revealing that the fires had been put out and in another section of the forest hovered the Dark Mark. Madam Bones merely sighed and proceeded to head out to the area that was below the Dark Mark. Before she left however, she turned to Arthur before asking.

"Is it alright if Susan and Hannah stay with you for now until I can come and get them?" An affirmative was given instantly and they were ushered to where their tent was located. "Wait!" called Harry stopping the group and making them turn to stare at him. J had vanished in a similar surge of grey light without a by your leave and Harry paid no attention to the group looking at him. He had pointed his wand at Draco and stated firmly.

" **Enervate.** " Draco sat up with a gasp and looked around him wildly. Harry ignored the demands to tell him what was going on and merely gave him his wand and sent him on his way. The shouts that "his father would hear about this" were ignored as the group started walking once more towards the crowd that surround the Ministry workers handing out portkeys.

Arthur went over and asked one of the workers for a portkey to Stoatshead Hill, Ottery St Catchpole and received a length of rope that had been charmed with an activation phrase. The Weasley group sans the eldest 3 who replied that they would Apparate to lessen the strain grabbed hold of the rope firmly. At the predesignated " **home** " they were once again spiraling with a hook to the navel before landing on their feet at the top of the hill. Harry of course didn't fit into this category and proceeded to fall down the hill as he had slipped on a rock upon landing and gravity had taken over. He continued to roll before landing in a small pond that was located near the base of the hill and proceeded to spit the water out of his mouth as the rest of the group made their way down laughing at his landing. They could all see Harry's pout at being under Mrs Weasleys care as she fussed over him making sure that he was dry before proceeding to rush into Arthur's arms and start sobbing that they were all alright. Hermione walked right up to Harry and smacked his arm at making her worry over every single thing he did. He simply laughed it off and proceeded to protest the insinuation that he was a goldfish before spinning her around in a hug. Hannah and Susan had broad smiles on their faces and Hermione knew she would be interrogated at some point and that it would be on the rumor mill by the time they got on to the bus.

The Weasley boys had appeared with a crack as they were sitting down for a hearty breakfast provided by Mrs Weasley and Madam Bones appeared as they were relaxing with cups of tea.

"Auntie!" Susan shouted as she raced to give her aunt a hug. It had been clear to everyone that she had been worried the longer it took for her to appear but those worries were all washed away in a warm hug.

"It's alright now Susan. I just had to sort some things out before I could escape." As Mrs Weasley opened the door she proceeded to place a copy of the Daily Prophet infront of Harry and moved out of line of fire as he spat out his tea at the title. **Knight in Grey Saves Damsels in Distress**. Everyone proceeded to laugh at the article that talked about a mysteriously, dashing hero that arrived in the nick of time to save the frozen damsels from the villanous clutches of those now gracing the prison of Azkaban. After everyone had a good laugh she proceeded to request the use of the Weasley's Floo to return to their own home. Arthur gave his permission and everyone proceeded to say goodbye and that they would see them at Hogwarts before proceeding up the stairs to sleep the morning away after the eventful night.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 6

The Burrow awoke to a dreary, overcast day that threatened rain if someone so much as sneezed. This year's September 1st promised to be a terrible start to the school year and the rain that started falling as they began to leave for King's Cross Station only cemented the fact. Arthur had been called in to work earlier that morning which left them to debate about how to get to the station. It wasn't until hints of thunder boomed that Mrs Weasley decided to call some muggle taxis to take them there. It was a miserable trip for all involved as they were all squashed together since they weren't able to use magic to expand the interiors of the vehicles for additional comfort. The relief of everyone could be felt when they finally arrived and had unloaded everything. The drivers sped off once they had been paid leaving the group rushing around the station trying to find trolleys to load up their trunks before making their way into the covered platforms where they joined the queue to move to Platform 9 ¾.

10 minutes later found the Weasley clan on the platform standing before the scarlet train that would take them to Hogwarts. Small talk was prevalent as they said their goodbyes with the elder brothers hinting that they would see each other sooner than they would think. This spiked the children's curiosity and before they could bombard them with questions Mrs Weasley urged them on to the train. By the time they had gotten settled and everything stowed away the train had started moving, cutting off their interrogation on what was happening and why the elder Weasleys would be visiting Hogwarts. After accepting that they wouldn't have their questions answered they made themselves comfortable while the twins went off to find their dorm mate Lee Jordan. Harry and Hermione settled themselves on one bench and started discussing Runes and debating whether or not Harry would be able to test into the 4th year Runes course with his head on her lap while Ron and Ginny sat discussing Quidditch on the other occasionally sending slightly jealous looks at the other pair which were ignored as they were engrossed in their animated discussion. Roughly half an hour into the trip the compartment door slid open revealing a blonde with startling blue eyes and a vacant expression on her face asking if she could sit with them. She had just introduced herself as Luna Lovegood when the compartment slid open once more revealing Neville, Hannah and Susan also asking if they could join them. At this point it had gotten slightly crowded but the space proved not to be an issue when Harry sat underneath the window and pulled Hermione down with him to lean against him, while Luna decided to plop herself down on Ron's lap to his confusion and every one else's amusement. When asked what she was doing she simply smiled at him and continued to talk about her summer homework with Ginny, ignoring his protests.

It had been a pleasant 2 hours with laughter and smiles floating around warming the compartment in contrast to the terrible weather outside which had proceeded to an onslaught of rain, wind and thunder when the compartment slid open once more revealing Draco Malfoy and his ever present henchmen Crabbe and Goyle with a dramatic flair that had them wondering if he practiced at home. Draco looked at those present before commenting

"Well if it isn't Looney Lovegood, Gryffindorks and Huppleduffs-" before his voice was abruptly cut off. They could still see his mouth moving and his ever present sneer and were wondering what happened when they noticed that Harry had flicked his wand and that a transparent teal barrier had popped up around them.

"Sound barrier." He supplied calmly before flicking his wand, slamming the doors shut cutting off Draco mid-speech. Laughter rang throughout the compartment as they could see Draco's red face before he pirouetted and flounced off, provoking a vigorous debate about whether or not there were underlying reasons why Draco continued to harass Harry. He was rightly horrified at this and to everyone else's amusement Hermione was adamant that he was hers and that she wouldn't let anyone move onto her territory. She had blushed right after and covered her face with her book but everyone could tell she was smiling when Harry decided to wrap his arms around her in a not so subtle gesture of content. Ron changed into his robes and stormed off with Luna trailing him as she spouted that she was going Wrackspurt hunting and that he was a treasure trove of them. The Hufflepuff duo and Neville looked at Harry in question but he merely shrugged, indirectly stating that he wasn't worried about this reaction.

"If he doesn't like it then that's his problem isn't it." The trio nodded in agreement at this and talk turned to what event was happening this year and whether Harry would be dragged into it again. He vehemently argued that he wanted no such thing and was hoping for a quite year this year. While they accepted his argument and protests, they also started making bets about whether he would or not while ignoring his pouts over his head, causing everyone to lose their serious demeanor. Harry soon joined in while occasionally stating that he did not go looking for trouble and that the Potter luck was strong in him. Only Hermione and Hannah, who was a half-blood, got his reference and made them break into giggles that lasted for another hour.

It was a slightly hyper from sugar group that exited the train into a torrential downpour that made visibility practically zero who made their way quickly to the horseless carriages and into the relative dryness that it represented. The group had split into two with Harry, Hermione and Ginny taking one carriage with Neville, Susan and Hannah taking the other. Small talk about the Sorting, classes and the tournament filled the 10 minute carriage ride before rolling to a gentle halt near the gate to Hogwarts. Harry stepped out first helping the two ladies down with what Hermione called the 'Potter Grin' in her head plastered over his face. The two had giggled before they ran to catch up with the others who had arrived on an earlier carriage and were waiting for them, with Hermione once again dragging him by the hand.

Once they made it inside wands were drawn and flicked with drying and warming charms flying at each other. Sighs of content could be heard as the spells came into contact sparking those around them to follow their lead. For a select few the charms needed to be reapplied courtesy of Peeves the Poltergeist throwing ice cold water balloons which was instinctively blocked by Harry for their immediate group. The group then separated with the majority of them making their way to the far table where Gryffindor was located with the Hufflepuffs on the next table after theirs. The students already sitting were chatting softly as they waited for the first years to arrive and the sorting to begin. Ron had arrived with Seamus and Dean Thomas, fellow Gryffindor 4th year and sat not far from Harry but still within talking distance. Not that they were complaining since they had gotten sick of his behavior over the holidays at the Burrow and on the train as well.

The Sorting proceeded as normal without any problems and they had just started to dig in when the doors to the Entrance Hall boomed open and there stood a figure that wouldn't seem out of place as a pirate with a wooden leg and a crazy eye that started to limp down the space between the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws before stopping at the Head Table where he greeted Dumbledore.

"Albus." Came the gruff reply.

"Ah, Alastor. I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to wonder if I had to look for a new Defense teacher so early in the year." Dumbledore joked as he looked at his old friend.

"Yes, well. I had to sort out those fools who tripped my alarm wards now didn't I." Came the reply as 'Mad-eye Moody' made his way around the table and into the empty seat before taking a swig from his hip flask. Whispers flew around the hall about being taught by 'Mad-Eye' and the level of noise rose significantly as each person tried to make themselves heard.

"Who is that?" Harry inquired, confused at what the fuss was about.

"He's one of the best aurors there ever was." Replied Neville almost fervently.

"Bit mad of course, but all the best are." The group laughed at this and happily munched their way through dinner with Harry leaning more towards the vegetables when he looked up and noticed Mad Eye staring at him.

' _Be careful around him Harry. Something seems off about him._ ' Harry was startled at this and was about to question J but received no answer and merely shook his head at J's mysteriousness and simply passed on the message to the others who seemed rather skeptical. He helped himself to some treacle tart and managed to finish his second plate before Dumbledore stood to address the students.

"It's with great sadness that I must announce that there will be no Quidditch this year." He paused as he listened to a third of the school shout their dismay and protests at cancelling the sport. When he felt that he had waited enough he shot a cannon blast into the air before continuing as if nothing happened.

"It is instead with great pleasure that I can announce that Hogwarts will be the first to host the recommencement of the Tri-Wizard Tournament." More whispers raced around the room as those who were daring enough boasted that they were going to enter, male Weasleys included. Harry meanwhile started to bang his head on the table as those who noticed laughed and made bets on whether or not he would be entered.

"I must also point out that I will be putting up an age line to ensure that all participants are over the age of 17 to ensure the safety of the students. This will be an event that is only open to those who have reached the majority of their age. We ask that you comply with us on this. Now off to bed with you all." Harry merely sighed and discussed with J about the chances of him being entered and discovered that they felt the same regarding his chances at a peaceful year.

' _It's time to increase your training Harry. Since I now have a human form we'll get you started on your animagus form and a melee combat style for you if you ever need it.'_ Harry nodded his acceptance at this plan and turned his attention back to Hermione who had waited patiently for him to return to the world around him and had been guiding him around other students and obstacles by his hand. He smiled at her and rubbed circles into her hand in appreciation before helping her into the portrait hole and sitting down on the couch near the fire and pulling her into her lap.

"So this might be presumptuous of me but I was wondering if you'd like to be my girlfriend." He crooned into her ear causing her to nod her head vigorously.

"Why Harry, I thought you'd never ask" she simpered before kissing him full onto the lips to the wolf-whistles and catcalling of the entire common room. Ron who would have stormed off based on his previous behavior merely shook his head and walked up the stairs to the 4th year dorm followed by Dean and Seamus looking preoccupied. Harry figured he was still thinking about Luna and left Hermione to the figurative wolves of the Gryffindor 4th years, her fellow dorm-mates and resident gossip queens, Lavender and Parvarti.

'Traitor' she mouthed at him as he simply kissed her softly before walking up the stairs. He heard the interrogation begin and hoped they would make it to bed on time because a grumpy Hermione was an unhappy Hermione and he was pretty sure that an unhappy Hermione meant less kisses. He liked the kisses.

As he lay his head down on the pillow, Harry took a moment to simply bask in the ambiance of the dorm. The wind whistled through the slightly open window providing a sharp contrast to the deep snores that emanated from Ron's bed. He released the tension that he had felt from dinner because of all the stares that he and Hermione had received before exhaling deeply and proceeded to his mindscape. When he entered he saw J in his human form with a pile of metal at his feet. Harry was curious as to where this metal came from since they were in his mind, there shouldn't be anything physical here? Right?

"Well then, Harry. Since we can both tell that you're going to be entered into this tournament I figured that we should craft you a weapon that you can summon at the same time as your armor. No questions until I've finished explaining OK." J cut Harry off as he could tell from his facial expression that he had no idea what was going on.

"Now. I've taught you how to summon physical magical walls that won't let spells through as well as how to shape them. This is taking a step further and combining the two. What I want you to do is use this metal and shape it into a cube. This process will involve you folding it over on itself again and again until it's dimensions are perfect." Harry nodded his head in understanding and slowly and started moving forward to lift it but found that it was too heavy. J laughed at his attempt and set him straight.

"Use your will Harry. This metal is the magic absorbed by your totems and will therefore follow your directions however you want them to. I also recommend sitting down for this." Harry stepped back and sat cross legged and focused on the huge pile in front of him. As he imagined the metal rising and to his fascination it followed his desires. It was as if he was watching a master blacksmith hammering away in a forge, the way the metal was folding itself before compressing it making the pile smaller each time. He could also tell that the more he folded it the brighter it became. After he completed this task Harry looked up and saw J smiling with pride at him. He flushed at the proud look on his face and gave a bashful smile.

"That was very well done Harry. I was expecting this to take you at least a week for you to complete. Your innate understanding of how to use your magic will come in handy plenty of times in your life." Harry imagined that this would be what it felt like to be praised by his parents if they were still alive which brought tears to his eyes before he dashed them away.

J simply smiled sadly, as his thoughts picked up what Harry was thinking. Instead of breaking the silence he merely moved forward and wrapped him up in a warm hug and held him unto Harry had his composure back.

"Now that that's done we're going to be shaping the cube. I want you to separate the cube into thirds. Imagine a clean split between the halves and we can get to shaping them and potentially finish this tonight." J laughed at the end and Harry smiled at the compliment that wasn't said aloud and proceeded to complete the task he was set. Just by staring at the cube the two sides fell away leaving perfectly divided thirds to be used and shaped at his leisure.

"Good. Now imagine the first prism of metal to float around you in a circle, like a piece of robe or that tape measure from Madam Malkins or Olivanders." Said piece of metal floated up and proceeded to take on a liquid-like consistency that flowed around his chest.

"Stand up Harry. There's a good lad. What you need to do now is imagine the chest armor of plate mail. Use mine as a reference. You can customize it to however you want afterwards. He looked at the chest armor currently worn by J and proceeded to circle him to get a look at it from every angle. He noticed every rivet and crease and slowly focused the same image on himself and felt the metal tug at his mind and followed his directions. He proceeded to do the same for the armor on his arms and another bar of metal flew up and split itself in half as he repeated the process not missing any details. When he was done he was clad in a bright silver cuirass that had no openings between the front and back with pauldrons that were a dark red. Connected to the cuirass were rerebraces that were a dull grey to contrast the bright silver, vambraces of a dark crimson and gauntlets that were black with gold outlines.

J interrupted Harry's musing about how awesome he looked by directing his attention to the last block of metal.

"What did you want to do with this one Harry? We can either use it now or save it for later when you summon another totem. We could also use it to make some added protection and maybe a weapon."

"What sort of weapon would it be?" Harry had a gleam in his eye at the sound of a weapon.

"There aren't many defensive weapons that can be used offensively are there?"

"I was thinking of having small kite shields attached to your gauntlets. Sort of like those knives that shoot out from under your wrist except that its on top instead. If you have them extended you can also use them as a wand or even a blade." Harry just gaped at J.

"That sounds pretty offensive to me." He was given a bellow of a laugh in return and just started to describe what he was imagining.

"Now get that block over here and start seeing what I'm about to tell you." Harry just rolled his eyes and got ready.

"Now plunge your arms into the block. It's your magic. It's harmless to you. Now what you want is to cover your the back of your forearm and hand. The idea is that it can slide forwards when you need it and slide back when you're done. Next in the bit over your hand imagine a second layer underneath laying directly against your gauntlet. This bit will have a split down the middle which will let it spring apart after it reaches a certain distance. Give it a rounded point and make sure that it doesn't overlap the initial shield. You don't want it broken when its not in use now do you." By the time Harry was done he had exhausted himself but had a pair of wicked looking rounded kite blades along his gauntlets that would primarily serve as magical foci first with supplementary uses such as parrying spells and as a physical weapon. J gave Harry a hard slap on the back and told him to go to sleep. It had reached 1AM and Harry had classes the next day. Tired but satisfied Harry rose back to the physical world and imagined everyone's reactions the next time they saw him in what he dubbed as his combat mode. While he was in his mindscape he had changed his totems to look more like a muggle suit centered around the color grey. He felt he just needed to form the pants and shoes as well as a cape because who doesn't like a cape and he would be ready for anything. A smile graced his face at this thought before his breathing deepened and he dropped off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 7

Harry awoke the next morning just as the sun was rising at J's request. He insisted that Harry begin jogging to ensure that he remained fit in preparation of the worst that could happen. When Harry looked skeptical J merely chuckled and said.

"Look on the bright side. If you don't get chosen you get to look fit for Hermione. That's a plus." His teasing managed to coax a blush out of Harry and he tried to avoid thinking about anything as he made his way down to the entrance hall. A look into the Great Hall showed that only the professors were up and that even they weren't fit to converse at that point in the morning. Harry was about to exit the castle before he changed directions and made his way to the Head Table.

"Excuse me professors. Might I have a moment of your time?" he requested politely. Several of the professors startled at the sound of his voice as if wondering why one earth a student would be up at this hour in the morning. A glance at his attire cleared up the question as to why he was up but not what he was about to ask them. First he asked if he could test into the Runes class with the fourth years and Professor Babbling answered that he should attend the first lesson where she could test him then before returning to her coffee. Professor McGonagall thought that that was all but noticed him still standing there looking as if he was debating with someone. He finally looked up and stared at each Head of House in the eye before stating.

"I have no intention on entering the tournament but if I do end up being entered I want you to know that it wasn't me who put my name in." Snape sneered at him but refrained from commenting so Harry figured that he always sneered since it seemed like a lesser degree than the one he normally received in Potions. The other Heads looked Harry in the eye and saw that he was 100% serious.

"Do you seriously think that you'll be entered Harry?" asked Professor Flitwick in his squeaky voice.

"I do Professor. Knowing my luck, it's going to be 4/4 for deadly events and I'm not taking any chances." They all nodded and accepted his request, as far-fetched as it seemed, and looked slightly more awake at the idea that he would need to risk his life once more. Harry turned away without looking back and headed out the door to jog around the lake. If he had he would have noticed the pondering looks on all the Heads at the changes that he had shown compared to last year.

After a refreshing jog in the cool, crisp air and a relaxing shower in the dorm Harry returned downstairs to the Common Room to find Hermione reading by the fire. Feeling cheeky, he snuck up on her from behind and covered her eyes, relishing in her startled gasp as she hadn't noticed him since she had been so focused on her book. When she whirled around she smacked him on the arm since he had the Potter Grin on his face, huffed as she placed her book back in her bag and took the offered arm and they made their way down to the Great Hall. Noticing that the food had been brought out they sat down at the far end of the table, closest to the Head table and started to dig in. Harry filled his plate with fruit and porridge, in contrast to last year's diet of bacon and eggs. Hermione asked about his change in diet and he told her that it was probably J's influence given that he was a herbivore first. Sure he could still eat meat since he was human but the less meaty the food was the better he felt after consumption.

Hermione figured this made sense and asked if he had requested to be tested into their Runes class and received an affirmative. McGonagall noticed that they were there and went down to hand them their schedules. They realized that they had Defense followed by Potions with a break then Transfiguration as the last lesson before dinner. Talk turned to classes they had today with innocent touches proceeding throughout the meal. Engrossed that they were, they didn't notice galleons changing hands. It was surprising that it was Snape who won as he had seen the inevitable years ago.

* * *

When the rest of the school had arrived, the two got up and left to grab their books from the tower hand in hand before proceeding to the 4th floor where the Defense classroom was located this year. They eventually decided on seats near the door as they read the first chapter of their textbook while waiting. As the clock struck 9 the last few members of the class trooped in and took their seats. A few seconds later the door banged open and Mad Eye limped in to the room and took stock of the students before focusing his gaze on Harry for a few moments more than necessary. This scrutiny left Harry feeling vaguely uncomfortable and he met his eyes straight on to show that he wasn't intimidated. Mad Eye simply gave a feral grin before turning to the board and tapping it with his wand.

"The Unforgivables. Aptly named as they tear the soul and are a one way ticket to Azkaban. Now who can give me an example?" His eye spun around a few times before landing on Ron.

"You, the red head. Name one." Ron gulped at being singled out before stating firmly "The **Imperius** Curse sir."

"You're a Weasley aren't you. Aye, that one gave your father and the rest of the DMLE a lot of trouble in the war. How do you know who's imperiused and who isn't? You'll be learning more about the Imperius curse later on, mark my words." His eye spun around again before landing on Neville.

"You're a Longbottom aren't you. Can you name another for me?" Neville's knuckles had turned white as he clenched them.

"The **Cruciatus** Curse." That was all that came out of Neville's mouth before it snapped shut.

"Aye, that's another. It's torture. Plain and simple. There's no other way to describe it except that it was designed to destroy another in an extended manner. Now who can name the last one for me." His eyes focused on Hermione.

"Yes miss?"

"Granger sir. The last one is **Advada Kedavra**."

"Very good Miss Granger. The Killing Curse. The last shot. If you don't dodge, then you're as good as dead. There was only one person to survive it and he's sitting right in front of me." The silence lasted long enough to be deafening before both Harry and Neville rose and walked out of the room. They remained silent as they left causing everyone to stare at them in shock except for Hermione, Hannah and Susan who had grabbed their things as well as their own belongings before rushing out after them. It was a tense atmosphere as they made their way to the greenhouses before they sat down on the grass.

"You alright there Nev? Can I ask what deep, dark memory you have that made you leave?"

"My parents were tortured into insanity by death eaters with the **Cruciatus** curse. They've been in St Mungos ever since."

"Well damn, I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know what's worse. Never knowing my parents or having them not know me." That was all that was said before Harry scooted closer to Hermione and left Susan and Hannah to comfort Neville. They remained like that until the bell signified the end of the lesson where they rose and made their way to the next class. All in all it started out to be a terrible day.

* * *

Days passed in relative normality until October 24th where the delegates from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang were set to arrive. Harry had continued to train his body physically and under J's tutelage he became more and more proficient in melee combat until he was practically a walking cyclone of solid metal. J was particularly proud when Harry had managed to split a large bolder in half with a backhand using one of his wrist shields. After that incident Harry felt better than ever and it showed in the way he carried himself around. There were a few more confrontations with Draco and other Slytherins but didn't escalate beyond verbal barbs and prank hexes. The entirety of Hogwarts was standing out on the grounds in the cool summer night waiting for the envoys to arrive. Excited chatter floated around the grounds as people speculated how they would get here and who they would bring.

Beauxbatons arrived first in a horse-drawn carriage that flew through the air before landing daintly along the grass as if it were a runway. One thing to be noted was that each and every single student that disembarked was good looking before a certain silvery blonde haired witch stepped out of the carriage. Harry felt a tug at his mental barriers but he smacked it away when it got annoying as he had been flirting with Hermione at the time and didn't bother to look up. As the Beauxbaton students walked up the steps and their headmistress stopped to talk to Albus for a bit Harry looked into the eyes of the silver haired witch and merely raised an eyebrow at how all the males around him had glazed eyes and were drooling slightly. He gave it no importance in his mind and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist as she had started shaking. What he didn't know was that this was in anger and when she surprised him with a passionate kiss then and there all curious thoughts about his fellow students reactions flew out his mind before he returned the kiss. 20 minutes after the French envoy had arrived students began to notice a commotion on the lake.

The first thing to rise was a tall mast flying black sails and the Durmstrang crest. As the Durmstrang delegates disembarked and whispers of Viktor Krum arriving Harry felt a sudden need to kiss Hermione in the same way that she had him minutes earlier. After the second passionate kiss ended there were wolf whistles flying at their blatant display and he held onto her protectively, actively marking his territory the same way Hermione had done to him earlier. They all made their way back into the Great Hall where they had noticed that the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students had sat at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables respectively. After a welcoming feast for the visiting students had ended and Dumbledore had opened up the entering of the tournament Harry felt a coiling around his heart and knew that this would not be a quiet year for him. When Hermione asked what was wrong with him he merely shook his head and buried his face into her hair, breathing in her scent and relaxing in her presence.

The week leading up to the Selection tested Harry's patience in a way that the Dursleys never had. He was constantly being questioned by the silver haired Veela witch who had decided that she would grace him with her name despite him not asking for it and definitely not wanting it at all. The looks of jealousy from the males of Hogwarts rode on Harry's nerves so much that he was close to hexing anyone who tried to start another scene. Hermione was facing a similar problem from Viktor Krum and her words were much more scathing to the lower tiered members of her gender. The two of them made sure to talk about the pests in their lives every day to ensure that no secrets remained and it was a past time of theirs to abuse them verbally in the sanctity of an unused classroom. These sessions left them light hearted and more relaxed than ever.

October 31st was Harry's least favorite day of the year. Again and again something terrible happened on this day and Harry could feel in his stomach that this year was no different. Hermione also looked worried and was constantly by his side, her hand in his whispering that nothing would go wrong. This made him smile slightly but the closer it got to the Feast the whiter his face seemed. The tension had eventually reached out and grabbed hold of Neville and Susan. Hannah had come down with a severe case of the flu and was in the Hospital Wing and would unfortunately miss the feast. Harry zoned back into focus when Neville nudged him with his elbow, gesturing with his head that Dumbledore was about to speak and when he tried to swallow, he found that his mouth was incredibly dry.

"It is now time to select our champions. When your name is called please make your way into the room behind us. Without further ado let the Selecting begin." As he stepped closer to the Goblet, the flame turned bright blue and spat out a slip of paper.

"The Champion of Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour." The silver haired witch rose and sneered in Hermione's direction as if to say, see how much better I am than you. This pissed Hermione off to no end and both boys noticed that the hand gripping her knife was now white. They remained silent to ensure that her wrath was not turned onto them but Harry simply put his hand on her knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She smiled at his action and they both turned their attention back to the Headmaster.

"The Champion of Durmstrang is Viktor Krum." People started cheering in the same manner as they had for Fleur, wildly and in the hopes that the person in question would notice them. Harry snorted at their behavior and heard an echo of it coming from J.

"The Hogwarts Champion is Cedric Diggory." Harry let out a huge sigh of relief that his name hand't been called. The exhaustion and giddiness was practically radiating off of him causing those around him to laugh since they knew that he had feared being called.

"Now that all the Champions have been called I can gladly announce that the Feast can-" His sentence cut off adruptly as the Goblet had turned blue once more and spat out another piece of paper. Harry was speechless as he knew what was coming next.

"Harry Potter" Dumbledore announced gravely as the professors had been discussing the odds that Harry's name would come out in the staff room and it was evident to everyone that judging by the sad looks on their faces, they hadn't taken him seriously. Harry had his head bowed as everyone started at him, with the Gryffindors looking in sympathy while everyone else looking jealous and cheated. Susan was the lone Hufflepuff that was not angry at him as she knew how much he feared being Chosen and was sure that Hannah would feel the same way. He silently rose and made his way to the back room, not meeting the eyes of anyone as he was walking so silently he was practically gliding. He had just sat down and the tears were pouring down his face without a noise being made that the other Champions had no idea what was happening. Their confusion became more pronounced as the Head teachers of each school and the Ministry delegates swept in and started arguing about the unfairness of having two Hogwarts Champions were. Harry merely sat in the corner, shell-shocked that his nightmare was coming true and that he would once again be in danger. He dazedly answered any questions regarding whether or not he deliberately entered with a negative. J proved to be a blessing as he simply sent a comforting rumble that radiated out of Harry's core causing him to smile slightly at the obviously distressing scenario.

During a lull in the debate of what to do regarding Harry's entrance into the tournament he got up and walked up to Dumbledore ignoring Madam Maxine and Igor Karkaroff looking as if the entire world was on his shoulders.

"Why was I entered. Am I not one of your students. Don't you have an obligation to protect me and ensure that I have a safe environment to learn in. Every year something has occurred. Why can't you do something about it. WHY!" Harry was screaming by the end with the hysteria clear to all present.

"Harry, my boy... I can honestly say that I am..." Dumbledore began before Harry cut him off.

"Save your lies professor. First of all, I am not your boy. Secondly, if you were actually devastated about this then you would do everything you can to get me out of this, which you aren't. Finally, if you were so worried about unwilling participants then you would have asked the other Professors to provide protection to ensure that this didn't happen. But you didn't did you. This just goes to show that you don't really care about your students, or is it just me that you don't care about." Harry was too worked up to see the hurt in Dumbledore's eyes and the shock at everyone else at his daring to speak in such a way.

"I don't care anymore. I'm just going to bed. Tell me what ever you need to so that I can leave." He shifted his attention to Bagman who got the idea and began to speak about the First Task.

"Your first task is to challenge your daring and innovation. The First Task will take place on the 24th of November. I wish you all the best of luck." He rattled off quickly hoping to escape from the stifling tension in the room. Harry left soon after ignoring everyone else and making his way slowly back to the Gryffindor tower. By the time he had arrived and given the password to the portrait he had calmed down significantly. Most of the trip back involved discussing the training plan with J who decided to move up the totem summoning by quite a margin thanks to the new developments threatening his safety.

A blast of noise ended the discussion as Harry was pulled in to the Common Room to cheers and a party that seemed to ignore the fact that Harry's life was once again in danger. He tried to put up a smiling front that seemed a tad genuine when he say next to Hermione but by half an hour he felt hounded and needed to escape. Changing his posture to hostile he got up slowly, saying that he would see Hermione in the morning and made his way to the dormitory stairs where he moved quickly, breaking into a run as everything became too much. He had just entered his dorm when he turned and saw that Ron was sitting up in his bed looking confrontational.

"Well look who it is" sneered Ron.

"Once again you get to be the center of attention. You have money, fame and the girl and now you want to take the spotlight once again. Saving people's lives too boring for you now?" Harry was extremely hurt at this accusation and moved to his bed.

"I don't want to argue with you Ron. I didn't ask to be entered and I can assure you that I don't feel like risking my life for entertainment." Ron scoffed at this and stated that he couldn't be friends with such a glory hog. It didn't take long for Harry to enter the bathroom and turn on the water, blasting himself with hot water trying to scrub off how dirty he was feeling. He set up a noise cancelling shield and let himself succumb to the tears that had been threatening him all night. When he was done he dried himself and walked back to his bed in browbeaten silence before climbing in and drifting off to sleep hoping that the next day would at least be better than today had been. His last coherent thought was of feeling strong arms surround him in comfort and holding him as he gave in to his despair.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 8

It had proved to be a trying couple of weeks for Harry because of his fellow Hogwarts students. A third of Gryffindor felt cheated that it was Harry once again in the spotlight whereas the other third felt the same but was not overly aggressive about it. The Hufflepuffs were also moving against him in a righteous passive aggressive manner even with the attempts of Susan, Hannah and Cedric actively trying to convince their house that Harry didn't volunteer himself.

Ravenclaw was neutral in the entire manner and most of Slytherin was glad to have a reason to be wand-happy even if they believed that someone was trying to kill him.

He wasn't sure how he would survive if he didn't have J, Hermione, Neville, Susan and Hannah on his side. He was constantly on edge and taken to increasing his training sessions by at least 2 hours per session. He admitted that it helped him work past his aggression when he was confronted by Professor McGonagall and was given permission to destroy an unused classroom provided he repaired everything afterwards.

There was one significant event in the weeks leading up to the event where secrets about his magical prowess was revealed. Harry had been walking to Herbology after talking to Professor McGonagall about the different aspects of combat Transfiguration when he was ambushed by no less than 15 wands from all 4 of the Hogwarts houses.

* * *

When he felt the first spell being cast he pivoted on his back foot, summoning his totem set which had been upgraded to include pants and a cloak completing the set, and silently flicking his wand which sent a long thin pillar that spiraled apart after connecting with the initial spell into blunted X-shaped halberds that nailed his opponent's hands to the walls.

The battle ended soon after in a storm of grey as Harry kept on the move, dodging spells and retaliating at every opening leaving 15 upper aged students nailed to the wall with their wands scattered along the ground.

He made his way to Herbology and apologized to Professor Sprout stating that a situation had arisen. He then pulled a silvery memory strand out of his head and looked around before dumping it in the provided vial that she had transfigured before taking his seat.

* * *

"What are these rumors about you defeating 15 6th and 7th years in the corridors a few days ago" hissed Hermione, looking around to check that no one was around.

"Nothing important 'Mione," Harry replied calmly.

"They started it and I finished it. Simple as that."

"Yes. Simple as that. A 4th year taking out 5 upper years is believable. Taking out 15 at once is ludicrous!" Hermione was shouting by then end and they looked away from each other and saw that their combined Gryffindor and Slytherin Potions class had arrived. The door burst open to reveal Snape in all of his mysterious goodness.

"Shouting in the corridors are we. That'll be 10 points from Gryffindor. Now get inside," Snape sneered.

"Today we'll be working on a Shrinking Solution. The directions are on the board, ingredients are in the cupboard. You may now begin."

The class was proceeding as usual. Harry avoided any sabotage to his potion by erecting a repelling ward around his cauldron, making sure that it wouldn't affect the end result of his or Hermione's potion as his classmates had taken to throwing things in when he wasn't looking. What motivation they had to threaten everyone in the room with an exploding potion he had no idea, but wasn't keen on finding out.

He had just finished the last step of the instructions before taking a step back to appreciate his work. As he went to retrieve a vial from his bag he saw with horror in his eyes that a firework was about to make contact with his potion. In the space of 3 seconds before contact he flicked up a hand and conjured a shield around Hermione that would protect her from everything since he didn't know what was going to happen.

One earth-shaking explosion and a brief spell of darkness later and Harry was blinking his eyes in the Entrance Hall. He looked around to notice that his entire Potions class was there with Snape tearing a new hole out of everyone about foolish pettiness and endangering everyone because of sheer idiocy. Harry's groan brought Hermione, Neville and Professor Snape rushing over to his side.

His's friends helped Harry sit up while Snape was giving him a once over, checking his vitals and ensuring that he would live. Harry was confused at his behaviour and accidentally voiced his thoughts.

"As much as I would like to see your enormous ego crushed like an ant, I don't want you dead Potter. What happened today will never happen again and if students think that it was funny then I will see them expelled."

The end of his sentence rang out into the Hall and cut the snickers that were emerging from some of his classmates at what Harry asked next.

"Even Slytherins, Professor?"

"Especially Slytherins. They should already know the rules that I have in place for the labs and if they chose to ignore this rule and I find proof then they will rue the day they decided to place a toe out of line."

Harry was strangely relieved at this and Snape heard him mutter as he turned away.

"I'm glad at least one Professor cares." The trio of friends swore that Snape's expression softened for a second before he directed his wrath at the gleeful expressions at the potential murderers.

"Think Potions accidents are funny do you. I bet you didn't think about what could have happened if the potion became mutated did you. What were you thinking, bringing an sterilized item into the lab and deciding, nilly-willy to throw it in someone's potion. You're all lucky that there was only a minor explosion and that Potter managed to shield himself and Miss Granger before they could be seriously harmed. Be thankful that it didn't cause a chain reaction or they would be scraping us all off the floor. Detention for all of you for a week since no one sought to stop a dangerous situation before it happened."

They had just sat down at the tables in the Great Hall when Bagman popped his head out of the antechamber just off the hall.

"Harry! Wonderful that you're in here. We need you to be present for the Weighing of the Wands. Quickly now."

He just sighed and got up wishing that this day would end quickly. As he made his way in he was accosted by a witch with bug-like spectacles and lime green nails.

"Harry. Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet. I was wondering if we could have a chat just before the Weighing. You don't mind do you."

When she tried to pull him along she jerked back as if she was pulling on a large rock. When she caught his gaze she felt like she was staring at a predator and flinched, letting go of his arm where she had latched on.

"Lets just get this over with." He spat out, entering the room where the other Champions and their Head teachers were waiting. He nodded at Cedric, claiming the seat next to him while ignoring the other two who both were offended that they were beneath his notice.

"Who do you think you are, little boy, to ignore your betters like that." Fleur raged, ignorant of Madam Maxime trying to restrain her or Rita who looked like she found a pot of gold.

Harry looked around slowly as if trying to find who the target of her ire was.

"Who am I? The question is Miss Delacour, who do you think _you_ are. Ever since you got here you've been sneering your nose off at everyone and flaunting off your allure like some pot of smoke you want every one to smell. Is that what you want to do. Drive every single male in these halls crazy. Well you're doing a smashing job of it. People can barely walk through the halls without tripping over someone glazed over. Well done. Really."

By the time Harry was done Krum was laughing as well. He noticed this and rounded on him.

"Why are you laughing Mr Hotshot Quidditch Player. Strutting around like you own the place. Just because you have screaming fans doesn't make you any better. If you think for a second Hermione will fall for you then you're horribly mistaken. She is MINE and you better accept it." He emphasized the last sentence with a hefty amount of aura and started to radiate a silver nimbus and steel eyes.

A hand placed itself on his arm startling his rage out of him. He looked down and saw Cedric sweating a little but had faced his fear of Harry in an attempt to calm him down. He noticed that Cedric had faced his fear and gave him a bright smile and acknowledging to himself that the fact that he faced his fear of Harry despite himself, he had earned himself a place under his protection.

After retaking his seat leaving the aura to swirl around him like silver rivers he picked out his wand and flicked it at Rita, crushing her madly scribbling quill.

"Nothing gets out." That was the only warning he was willing to give and it was taken to heart as his aura had made them all sweat and they knew that he wasn't trying.

The door opened once more and Ollivander entered looking around muttering, "curious" over and over. Upon seeing Harry his eyes cleared up and nodded his head in understanding. The entire process only took half an hour as Harry hadn't bothered with the pictures, choosing to walk out as soon as his wand was given back to him not wanting to be in the presence of vanity incarnate any longer.

* * *

Harry felt he was too wound up to go back to class so he set off at a slow pace around the lake. He had just finished discussing the benefits of visiting the forest every now and then for some target practice when Hermione found him

"HARRY JAMES POTTER" she began.

'Uh oh. She's using the full name.' Harry thought to himself, going cross-eyed as she poked a finger at his nose.

"What have I told you about forgetting to tell me where you are." She had managed to extract that promise after telling her about the fight he had a few days earlier.

"To tell you where I am, at least once every hour, so long as we are not in the Gryffindor tower or lessons." He replied almost word for word. Her eyes narrowed and he swore he could see the sparks shooting out. He started to regret it as she lunged for him but relaxed again as the lunge had turned into a hug and he could feel the panic radiating off of her.

"I don't know what I would do without you. Your my partner in life and magic and if I lost you I'm sure I would go crazy and attempt to revive you or take over the world." The laughter that followed was slightly hysterical but both teens didn't feel the need to mention that fact.

"You're mine as well 'Mione. I'm sure if we put our mind to it we could easily take over the world." He joked before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. What they didn't notice was that since they had brought up magic it turned into a Vow with the kiss sealing the deal. A surge of magic brought them out of the moment and saw that they were surrounded by twines of silver and green and that it felt warm and safe almost like coming home after a long day and greeting their children.

'Well that's...' Harry trailed off, looking at the twining magic and wondering what brought it out.

'Interesting?' supplied Hermione.

Neither noticed that they were thinking these and not speaking out loud until J pointed it out.

' _I think you should be warned Hermione. This looks like what happened when I was first awakened with Harry. It looks like the magic sought to form a bond between you and I suspect that you'll wake up with a partner yourself in the near future. I don't know what direction your magic will take but you can take heart that we'll help you with whateve you need._ ' Hermione looked both horrified and curious at this.

" Oh my god. What if i can only go in one direction like Harry. What would I do then." Shouted Hermione. They both laughed at this until they noticed one key fact.

"Wait a moment. You can hear J speaking whiles he's still inside my head?" exclaimed Harry.

' _That's to be expected Harry. This is all unknown magic. We don't know what to expect between sentient magic spirits since we only have myself as an example. Think of all the things we can accomplish with this discovery_!"

They all laughed and hoped that they would form soon since it would be nice to increase the size of their family. Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the castle to the relative warmth since night had started falling and they needed to plan what they would do when Hermione manifested her own spirit.

* * *

Harry and Hermione abused their new connection to talk during class and learned to multitask communicating with each other and paying attention in class. A side effect of the bond that they found was both the fact that they shared emotions and learned that they shared both affinities of magic.

Both were discovered on the lake side when they were accosted by both Fleur and Viktor, one sunny afternoon that soon turned sour. The pair had been harassed by the latter on multiple occasions leading up to the events that soon became Hogwarts legend.

After the initial salvo of insults they had tried to walk away finding their way blocked by both delegate continents and about a quarter of the Hogwarts student body. They attempted to shove their way through, hoping to leave without conflict but it was not meant to be.

Previous friend Ronald Weasley and forever nemesis Draco Malfoy were both very vocal in their contempt of the pair, causing Harry's rising temper to feed into Hermione's and her newly found heightened affinity for lightning spells causing her hair to crackle and sparks to fly from Harry's eyes. It was the overwhelming pressure of their combined auras that broke through the blockade, dropping almost everyone around them into unconsciousness with Fleur, Viktor, Draco and Ronald to foam at the mouth.

It was a week before the First task when J woke Harry and Hermione up at 1 in the morning.

' _I need the both of you to go down to the forest. It's important that you do._ '

Harry groaned as he sat up hearing Hermione echo him in her own dorm. He climbed out of bed, gave it a longing glance before pulling out his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map before making his way down. When he got down there he saw that Hermione had reached the common room first and had sat at one of the tables to wait for him.

He motioned for her to come closer before throwing the cloak over them both and making their way out of the common room. Stopping every now and then they successfully made their way into the grounds and past Hagrid's hut. It was slow going as they had to make sure that no one saw them as they struggled to not make any noise from rustling leaves or snapping branches on the ground. Using J as a radar, they made their way deeper until they saw plumes of fire rising into the air and felt the air vibrate with ear-shattering roars.

They stood statuesque before proceeding even slower into a clearing where there were 4 dragon chained to the ground.

"Well bugger me." Harry whispered. Hermione was so shocked that she didn't bother correcting his language.

"Come on. Let's go back to the common room." They hurried back without a care of the noise they were making and barely looking at the Map. Gulping for air outside the portrait hole they gasped out the password and clambered in to the couch outside the fire. He stared at the fire and watched it as it crackled, reminding him constantly about his fate.

'HOW THE BLOODY HELL AM I MEANT TO FIGHT A DRAGON!' Harry roared over the mutual link they had. Hermione flinched at the sudden noise and begged him to calm down.

"It's alright Harry. We'll sort it out. You're going to be fine." Both of them knew that it was empty words.

' _She's right you know. You're more than capable of slaying a dragon. Just shift into your combat mode and make it physically and flame resistant and you're good to go. You know what. Make that your plan. I want you to flair your cape as much as possible as well._ ' His request was so outrageous that they both started laughing and soon they couldn't stop.

They cuddled on the couch as they continued to laugh until they were out of breath and fell asleep against each other only to be discovered when the early rising 5th and 7th years came down for a bit of morning study.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

Chapter 9

The days leading up to the First Task after the discovery that he had to face dragons was mind-numbing for Harry. He spent all of his nights training his proficiency in fire based shielding and spent most days communicating with Hermione and J, discussing strategies and weaknesses to ensure that Harry survived this challenge.

It had all reached a point the night before the task where he simply sat there staring into the fire.

"I just want this to be over" He confessed to Hermione. "This shouldn't have happened. What if it doesn't work. What if I'm just not good enough and that this is the end. You've seen the statistics for making it through this tournament unscathed. What chance do I have."

"Enough Potter. Moaning about it won't change a thing. You are going to go upstairs and sleep and wake up tomorrow and dominate a dragon. Is that clear." She said sternly, possessing a look of all seriousness.

"Yes ma'am" he said meekly before standing up and trooping up the dorms looking to all like a death row prisoner.

He slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning having nightmares about beasts of flame roaring down at him and enveloping him in smothering fire. He gasped and sat upright, throwing off his covers covered in a sheen of sweat.

Harry checked the time and noticing that it was the early morning decided to get up and mentally prepare himself. He took a long shower, soaking in the water before dressing in the uniform he was given that said Potter on the back.

The morning was spent eating a little before making his way to the Champions tent to wait out the rest of the morning in relative silence. He had picked Hermione up as she came down and without saying a word between them, grabbed some food and walked down basking in their companionship between them.

As the hours ticked by Harry could begin to hear the roar of the crowd as they made their way down and he got more nervous as the chatter grew louder, occasionally broken by loud roars. When the time had reached 11 Harry was a nervous wreck and the other champions looked no better. From what he could tell, he figured that all the champions knew what to expect and would have developed strategies to counter dragons.

Bagman waltzed into the tent to a glare from Harry who was not happy about being there and with a nervous chuckle began to talk about what was expected of them.

"Your task today is to face dragons. That's right. Dragons. Each dragon is guarding a golden egg that you are required to retrieve which is crucial to the next task. Now reach into this bag and each select the order that you will participating in."

The dragon that Harry drew out was a creature scaled in black, with spikes jutting out all along its tail and back with curved fangs with a number 4 around its neck.

"Bugger me" was all Harry said as he stared at the miniaturized version of his doom. One by one the Champions were called out with their entrance and nerves covered by the roaring crowd. Hours passed by as it slowly came to Harry's turn.

Stomach heaving, he got up and walked to stand just before the tent flat and centered himself.

'Any last words of advice for me J?' Harry asked with a depreciating laugh.

' _Don't die. If you need to slay it then do it. It's their fault for bringing in dragons. You have nothing to feel guilty about_ ' was the reply given.

'Gotcha. No dying.' He steeled himself and with a flick of his wrist sent the flaps flying. As he strode out of the tent he slowly changed his uniform into his totem set, a gentle grey muggle pants and shoes with white shirt and silver jacket. As he slowly took his place at the entrance to the arena his clothing changed once more, becoming covered in silver streams that solidified from the bottom up until he stood proudly in a sealed suit of armor with a cape snapping in the breeze.

As he placed his helmet on his head and snapped the face guard down he released all his stress and fear into his aura powering it up and coating everything around him in silver. With a flick of his wrists he sent out his shield blades and took a cross stance with one arm facing up with the other pointing at the dragon waiting for it to make its move.

The crowd held its breath as the staring contest between man and dragon continued. Harry was sweating inside his armor as a bird suddenly passed between the two of them and he threw himself to one side, narrowly avoiding a sudden blast of flame that cooked the bird. He swung his left fist out and around leaving a thick red trail that expanded as he moved, covering his face and most of his torso while flicked his right, send thin pillars of a light blue that landed against the dragons left claw and foreleg before exploding into frost.

The game of cat and mouse continued for well over twenty minutes, with bursts of flame and blue and red magic constantly flying between the two. Harry had been attempting to make the dragon circle around by cooling the air to the dragons left while heating the right to tempt it into the warmer area.

It had reached the point where Harry had decided to just charge in an attempt to grab the egg when something he had feared came true. The chains holding the dragon back snapped from the repeated heating and cooling spells that he had been casting in that direction.

"Well bugger me" he said out loud before all hell broke loose inside the arena. The angry Horntail charged at him with every intent to swallow him whole. He channeled magic into his legs and pushed off, leaping to his left just before the dragon landed on him.

'Does this count as a lethal scenario J?' Harry thought casually as if he wasn't about to enter mortal combat with an enormous dragon.

' _I do believe so Harry. Have at thee. SAY IT HARRY._ ' J demanded. Harry simply sighed at his companion before doing as he asked.

Harry focused on the task at hand and pictured a barrier rising up between the stadium proper and the stands to prevent anyone else getting hurt. He then anchored it via runes into the ground before sharpening both his mind and his weapons. He unleashed his aura once more, sending out a storm of grey with his cape snapping in the breeze.

He flicked a rune on his gauntlets with his magic, splitting open the single blade into a tri-pronged shape with each prong sharpened to cut steel. Harry took a deep breath before running at the dragon shouting at the top of his lungs.

"HAVE AT THEE!" He yelled as he shot off with a boom, pushing so much magic into his body that he destroyed the piece of land he was standing on. The dragon roared at his challenge and went to meet him, swinging a razor sharp talon that met with a crash and a pulse of concussive energy.

The dragon roared at his defiance and spat a rock-melting plume of fire that Harry blocked with an upward flick of his wrist before retaliating with a swipe at the muscle just above the claw. The swipe left a trail of blood and only succeeded in making the dragon angrier.

The battle became repetitive in the switching of attack and defense and yet the crowd couldn't turn its gaze away. The other champions were interesting as they all used unique strategies but none of them had the nerve to actually battle one. Then again, none of the other dragons actually escaped.

The battle soon reached the one hour mark. Harry, having lost interest in his score in the first 10 minutes, felt the fatigue that was building up with the continued use of his magic.

' _Last burst Harry, you can't keep this up any longer._ '

'Roger that' was all J received in reply. The crowd held its breath. The battle had taken a pause where both combatants were staring at each other. Harry started building up his magic once more.

"I WILL NOT LOSE" Harry roared before charging once more. His steps grew stronger, shaking the ground as he charged at his target. He pushed off the ground to bounce against a large rock that was conveniently placed between the two.

Just after leaping off the rock he waved his arms as if to gesture at the arena. It was in this action where he Transfiguered all the broken shards of rock into weapons which he flicked at the dragon before using gravity to strengthen his back-handed slash which dug into the dragons eye and consequently its brain.

After it landed on the ground he raised his arm, with the dragons blood still running down his blade before yelling out towards the heavens in a blood-chilling manner. Slowly he lowered his arm and picked up the Egg before walking towards the exit, wanting to simply sleep for the next week. Before he could get away he was ambushed by Hermione with a firm but gentle hug. No words were said since they weren't needed and they just stood there, basking in the warmth that they shared in heart, mind and body.

After they separated he made to pull her towards the castle but Hermione was insistent that they make their way back into the arena.

"You need to get your score Harry. You can sleep afterwards, besides, I think Bagman needs to talk to you as well."

Harry simply sighed and let her pull him back into the arena where his heart sank at the sight of the dead dragon.

"I know. I know. It's ok Harry. It's not your fault" she soothed as his body started to shake. He firmed his gaze and stared at the judges, resolving to blame them at the loss of both his innocence and the dragons life.

"UNBELIEVABLE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. OUR YOUNGEST CHAMPION HAS SLAIN HIS DRAGON. WHILE IT WAS AGAINST THE RULES PERSONALLY I BELIEVE THAT HE IS NOT AT FAULT SINCE HE HAD NO CHOICE. NOW LET'S SEE WHAT THE JUDGES THINK" Bagman's voice rang out throughout the stadium.

As one the crowd turned to the table where the judges were staying. Madam Maxime paused for a good 30 seconds as she deliberated before shooting up a 7. As she was deliberating Hermione took the liberty to explain the scoring process.

"It's out of 10 from each judge. I believe that it takes in creativity, cool under fire and of course success."

She had just finished explaining when Dumbledore shot out a 5. Harry snorted at the score and muttered about not having school spirit. Hermione merely patted his hand.

Karkaroff was next, shooting up a 8, looking satisfied but also reluctant as if he respected his ability but didn't want to score him higher. Crouch and Bagman also shot up 8's in respect of what Harry had to do.

"Well who cares about scores. It's not like any of them had to slay a dragon to survive." Hermione was angry at the judges lack of empathy at what he had to go through but didn't do anything when his arm tightened around her shoulder.

"It's alright 'Mione. Let's just go to the champions tent to see what they want. I plan on sleeping a week after what just happened."

She just shrugged and supported him away. In the brief trip to the tent they were accosted by a certain Weasley.

"Harry, I-" was all he got out before he received a fist to the face which sent him flying away.

"Bugger off Ron. I have nothing to say to you. You made your choice and now here's mine. We. Are. Not. Friends. Merely dorm mates and even that is reluctant. Now leave me alone" Harry spat out without breaking stride. He didn't look back even when Ron got up to curse him in the back. He didn't look back because he knew that Hermione would have his back.

"Keep going Harry. I've got this and I'll meet up with you later" was all Hermione said, pulling out her wand and standing guard, staring down Ronald. All the tension that she had felt that day cause both her hair and magic to start crackling. As she waited for Ron to make the first move she heard a voice whispering in her mind.

' _Strike ferociously and without remorse. Burn all in your wake to protect you and yours._ '

With her mind occupied with preparing herself for battle against her one-time friend she didn't hear the words that were said, merely the feeling that went along with it but the feeling was one she could support wholeheartedly. A burning feeling that spread to her fingertips and the deepest parts of her mind that caused it to shift into overdrive.

The aura that she had started to generate permeated the air, filling it with a certain ozone smell and cause everyone who felt it to tense as if getting ready to dodge lightning. To Harry, however, it felt warm and comforting and let him relax slightly as he let himself be checked over by Madame Promfrey who was worrying just as much as Hermione over him but in a less personal manner.

She had just finished her check when Hermione entered the tent and sat herself next to Harry looking smug and letting their aura mingle. Dumbledore, Maxine, Karkaroff, Bagman and Crouch entered soon after followed by Rita Skeeter who hit a wall with her photographer causing a domino effect for everyone else who tried to enter who wasn't welcome.

Hermione's smile became wider at that and Harry just figured that it was her who cast the spell and thought nothing more of it. His attention was soon pulled to Dumbledore who seemed insistent that he invade Harry's personal space and he wasn't keen on that. Figuring the cat was out of the bag, he flicked his finger and a transparent dome spread out from him covering both him and Hermione.

"Can I help you Professor?" Harry was tense and his words reflected that, coming out sharp like knives.

"How could you slay that dragon Harry. Killing shouldn't be your-" Dumbledore tried to get out.

"Spare me your moral propaganda Professor. Where were you when I needed help for the upcoming task. Where were you when I was stressing out over what to do. For your information, I had no intention of slaying the dragon until it broke free and started rampaging. So you can go bugger off until you faced a rampaging dragon of your own while also protecting all the civilians in the stadium at the same time."

Harry was immovable and everyone present could tell. He sat there like a king radiating honor and grace that bespoke of royalty. Hermione, likewise was radiating the same royal air, cementing herself to all present that he was hers and that she too would not tolerate anything except respect.

The tension was getting thicker after every second that passed and Hermione was considering how hard it would be to swing a knife in this situation when the tension was broken by Bagman.

"Yes, well congratulations to the champions for each passing the First Task. We have Viktor in first at 46 points, Fleur in second on 44, Cedric in third on 42 and finally Harry in last place on 38 points. The Second Task will take place on the 24th of February and the only clue you have is the Egg that you have with you" He shot out before leaving in a hurry.

As one Harry and Hermione rose with her taking his arm before they started to walk away. Harry anchored the dome that ensured their personal space to their elbows to ensure that both were covered as they breezed past everyone on their way out. Those who didn't move fast enough were moved out of the way forcefully as if they were parting the seas.

"Come back here Mr Potter. We aren't done here" Roared Dumbledore to deaf ears.

"Yes we are Professor. I have nothing to say to you and I doubt that anything I need to hear will come from you."

Saying this in front of everyone brought silence to them at the sheer audacity that the pair were showing as they walked away, as if to say that we are above you.

"Is your stuff safe in the dorm 'Mione? If you can get me up there I can ward it for you if you want" Harry asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped the two.

"It's fine Harry, thanks for asking. I can ward it with lightning magic, I have a few ideas on how to do that I want to try out anyway."

The pair smiled at each other and made their way up to the castle. They were halfway there before Harry broke out into laughter, startling Hermione.

"What's wrong Harry?" She was slightly worried as the laughter was coming out slightly hysterical.

"I slayed a dragon Hermione. A freaking dragon" was all that came back causing her to smile and giggle at her boyfriend as he laughed, deciding to ignore the hysteria that was there. Their smiles died out as they made their way to the front of the Portrait Hole of Gryffindor took a deep breath and said the password, bracing themselves for the reaction of the rest of their house.

It was a good thing they did as well because as soon as they were seen, a cacophony of screams met their ears. They climbed in and Harry shrunk the bubble until it coated their skin, but still ensuring that they coulnd't be touched.

The Weasley Twins climbed up onto one of the tables and started shouting.

"Quiet you lot. Is this how we treat our resident hero." The shouts died down soon after that.

"Thats better. Now without further ado. THREE CHEERS FOR DRAGON SLAYER POTTER!" The roars that followed would be talked about for weeks as even the Slytherins swore they felt them in the dungeons. As soon as the cheers were finished calls for a speech rang out before being taken up by everyone with the Quidditch team being the loudest.

Harry took slow steps and those in front of him moved out of the way. He first stepped onto a couch before moving onto a chair then a table. He then released a gentle version of his aura, bathing those closest to him in a silver bath, similar to sunlight.

"I AM THE JUGGERNAUT AND I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!" He roared at the top of his voice. The Gryffindors screamed and stamped at this basking in the presence of a legend. Harry continued in a steady voice, cutting through the screams that seemed to resonate with everyone in the room.

"I thank everyone who believed that I didn't enter. The support that you showed me was the stabling factor that I needed to ensure I didn't go crazy." As his words became frostier and sharper the closer he got to the end of his speech, the noises slowly died out.

"That's right. None of you believed me when I said I didn't enter. Did you think I would forget how you all treated me after my name came out. The only ones who believed me were Hermione and Neville and the Twins. So you don't get to celebrate what you didn't earn."

Harry stepped off the table and walked back to Hermione with a smile on his face that was mirrored back to him and turned to see Neville walk up to him with his back straight and a burning look in his eyes.

He clapped Neville on the back before making his way to the dormitory stairs with Hermione and Neville at his left and right respectively. When they reached the stairs he kissed Hermione goodnight and watched her ascend before turning to Neville and receiving a nod as they started making their way up. They finished changing and sat down on their respective beds.

"You have my support in anything you decide to do Neville. This I swear on House Potter and my magic" was all Harry said, not seeing the need to waste words.

"Likewise Harry. House Longbottom supports you and House Potter in whatever comes next." A surge of silver and brown magic followed their declarations before they decided to have a nap before dinner.

As Harry watched Neville close his curtains, he cast a privacy shield that would only allow Neville himself to enter on his side of the room before repeating it on his own. He collapsed soon after from the fatigue as the adrenaline wore off and went to sleep knowing that the year would only get more and more difficult.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry Potter and the Juggernaut's Resolve

* * *

I apologise for the late posting but I just wasn't feeling up to writing the ball so I decided to pretty much skip it. Also I had work and such but then again I'm also lazy hehehe

* * *

Chapter 10

The fatigue Harry felt after the First Task was visible to everyone who saw him the day after. After he completed his morning ablutions he stared at himself in the mirror and did not enjoy what he saw when he felt the tingle that he associated with J trying to speak to him.

' _You look terrible Harry._ '

'Thank you very much J' Harry snarked back, tone slightly sharp from the stress but mostly good humored.

' _None of that cheek Harry. I know you're tired but its best if you don't act like it. You never know who's watching.'_ J replied, tone understanding as he knew that what Harry had accomplished was things spoken of in legends.

'What are we gonna do now?'

' _Now you take a break for a few days before we get down to figuring out the Second Task. Which means no training._ '

'No training?' Harry looked horrified at the thought. 'What am I going to do? I need to train J.'

' _You can take a day or two off. It's not like you're always in a life or death situation.'_

Harry just sputtered at this before coughing and gesturing around himself as if to highlight everything around him.

' _Right... You know what I meant..._ ' J was looking rather sheepish as he remembered the fact that Harry was indeed in a life or death situation. ' _Enough stalling. Go wake up Neville and meet Hermione and the Twins downstairs. Try building something with your powers. Think of it as lego'_

Harry was speechless at this suggestion. 'You want me to use my powers, which just yesterday were used to slay a dragon as lego... LEGO.'

' _Yes, now get to it.'_ J boomed out before chuckling at his expression.

'I'm just waiting for you to tell me that this is joke and that we're going to be doing something that doesn't sound ridiculous.' Harry was unsure if he should be taking this seriously or not.

' _OI. Fine. You want to be like that then. Your next assignment is to build a life-sized replica of the dragon you fought using your powers as blocks. Satisfied brat?'_ Harry couldn't help but sweatdrop at the tone that J used to give him his task. It sounded almost like he was pouting but he wasn't sure if he wanted to confirm whether he was right or not.

Figuring it wasn't worth confirming whether his only positive adult role model was pouting like a child or not he exited the bathroom to find Neville getting out of bed and preparing to do his own ablutions.

"I'll be down in the Common Room Nev. We'll wait for you before we go down" Harry supplied, his tone questioning as to give Neville the option to decline. Neville merely nodded groggily before staggering into the bathroom.

Harry just laughed and made his way down before sitting at a table near the window, legs crossed staring out over the horizon looking all the more like a king looking over his kingdom.

He was lost in his thoughts when he felt a tingling in the air making its way down the girl's dormitory staircase which snagged his attention. He stood and turned, a smile blooming onto his face as he saw Hermione walking towards him with an excitement that he felt reflected inside himself.

"Good morning Mister Potter. Glad to see you're doing well after slaying your second magical beast. I can see the headlines now. Harry Potter, Beast Slayer." Hermione ribbed at her partner, colorful sparks leaping around her hair showing that what she said was out of jest.

"Good morning Miss Granger. Let's hope that the masses see it as something like that. Maybe the fangirls will give up then." They both shuddered at that, the fear that is fangirls was truly horrifying.

They stood there for a few minutes, trading flirts and as the distance slowly shrunk between them the aura became so sickly sweet that when the Twins came down they started gagging and imposing themselves onto the two.

"Knock it off you two. We don't want the ickle firsties to overdose on sweetness." Fred said from where he was draped over Harry's shoulder.

"Let's get down to the Great Hall. At least that way you can sweeten the coffee and tea for everyone." Joked George as they escorted them through the Portrait Hole and down to the food.

Harry shrugged Fred off and moved to take Hermione's hand in his own causing sparks to jump between them and their personal magic's' twining between the two through their hands bring smiles to both their faces.

Just ahead of the two the Twins were mucking around and pretending to choke on the cuteness that was being displayed by the two.

"Go on without me Fred. I won't be able to make it."

"Don't leave me George. We can make it. We have to."

Everyone in the Entrance Hall were laughing at the Twins and how they were acting, including said couple who were subtly being made fun of.

"Ready to face the world Potter?"

"You know it Granger."

The two shared a smile before bracing themselves and striding into the Great Hall. Hermione's hand had gravitated from Harry's and settled with her arm being looped through his. Their strides matching, they gave off a distinctly regal aura and made their way down to the Gryffindor table where Harry helped Hermione sit before sitting himself next to her.

The Hall which had previously been silent as they had made their way in burst into whispers, both excited and dismayed at the picture that they painted. Harry could have sworn he heard a wail from somewhere in the Hall, causing him to shudder.

Hermione merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a question in her eyes.

"Fangirls" was all Harry shared before the both of them shuddered again at the thought of the crazy demon spawn.

Over the next 20 minutes the Hall slowly filled as more and more made their way to fuel up for the day. As it looked like everyone was attending to their hunger Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

"It is my pleasure to announce that over Christmas we will be hosting the Yule Ball that is traditional to the Tournament. It is open to 4th years and over but younger years may be invited."

At the word ball whispers raced along the tables as girls gossiped about who they wanted to go with them and what they would be wearing whereas the boys merely groaned and more than one head hit the table.

Harry just looked at Hermione with an eyebrow raised and a jerk of his head before he received a smile and a nod in response to his unasked question.

"Of course I would Harry. It would be my pleasure. Although I do need to ask this now, do you dance Mr Potter?"

Harry just laughed sheepishly and scratched his head confirming her thoughts on the matter.

"I can teach you then. We'll need to find a classroom and music..." She was starting to get into her flow when Harry cut across her.

"We don't need to find a classroom. J wants me to build a lifesized replica of the dragon I fought out of magical lego but I can do that another day. I'll just build the room on the grounds, overlooking the lake with privacy spells built in to keep it just us."

"Are you taking me out on a date Harry?" Hermione smiled coyly at him, batting her lashes at him before thinking about what he just said. "Wait a second... magical lego?"

"Just roll with it. I don't even want to think about it..." was all the reply she got as they went back to eating.

The days passed by in relatively chilly neutrality as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next. The newest power-couple spent their days attending classes and part of their nights and off periods spent dancing, for one half of the pair at least, in a greenhouse made from Harry's 'magical lego' as he dubbed them.

The two had spent the last few hours just twirling away under the stars that showed through the translucent roof the adorned their current dancing spot, a hidden clearing located near the lake and covered by a large outcropping on one side and the lake on another leaving only one direction for people to approach them.

A slight buzzing could be heard as the wizarding radio that they had been dancing to made the noise that Hermione had charmed as an alarm went off. As they slowly stopped turning and just stood there, looking into each other's eyes, breathless from the physical activity and the close proximity between the two before the noise dialed down until all they could hear were their respective heartbeats and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

After seconds of standing like this Harry drew Hermione against the rocks where he leaned against them and pulled her so that he was sandwiched between the rocks and her. He then wrapped his arms around her stomach and lay his head on her shoulders and simply stood there content with the world and feeling her magic twine against his in a caressing manner.

"So how do I score for that session Miss Granger?" suddenly breaking the comfortable silence they had surrounding them.

"Quite well Mr Potter. We'll make a dancer of you yet, but let's go inside, I am quite famished."

"Agreed." The short reply was supported by the low grumbling that echoed throughout the box. As Harry offered his arm to Hermione, he waved his other hand to cancel the magic that he had placed around them, causing it to collapse in a similar way to the archway to Diagon Alley.

The pair walked up the grounds and through the Entrance Hall before Harry guides them to the right towards the kitchens. At Hermione's raised eyebrow he merely replied "Fangirls." She felt a shudder pass through his body as they both remembered the scene the day after the ball was announced.

* * *

Harry had just walked into the Great Hall when he paused and felt an eerie foreboding that warned him to run. Immediately. 'What was that feeling J?'

' _Now I don't want to alarm you Harry but I would recommend you not to eat in the Hall for a few days out of the presence of your friends._ '

'Why would I not want to eat alone?' Harry was quite confused at this piece of advice but then the warning feeling became ten times worse when there was a blinking noise that seemed to echo throughout the Hall.

He felt his face paling as if he was experiencing an out of body moment. He turned slowly, preparing himself to flee at a moment's notice as he took in what was happening before him. A crowd of girls was making their way to him slowly, as if they were a tide of ooze, slowly creeping forward. Eyes unblinking as they stared hungrily.

Behind the crowd he could see Neville and the Twins motioning for him to run long and hard and not stop for anything.

' _If you're going to run now is the time. Make sure you have your bubble up first though_ ' advised J nonchalantly as if it didn't concern him in the slightest. Which it didn't as he proceeded to remind Harry after picking up that thought.

'Traitor' thought Harry as he unconsciously pouted and showing it on his face, sending a wave of sighs throughout the wave of girls, bring Harry back to the present and his quite possible demise.

Coughing gently to clear his throat, he sent a cautious question into the crowd.

"Can I help you ladies, in any way?"

Silence was all that answered him, silent and wavering, the crowd took on a red hue, with only the robes and hair providing flecks of different colours.

"Baaaaallllllll" came a slow, spine shuddering warble from somewhere in the middle of the crowd. At that point of time it became apparent to Harry that he should run and run he did. He sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could before approaching the wall on the landing.

The crowd surged after him but Harry proved that the additional physical training was to his benefit as he leaped up until he was three quarters of the way up the wall before performing a tumble roll similar to an Olympic swimmer and rocketing back down the stairs over the mob and sprinting out the doors.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" He shouted hysterically as he ran onto the grounds and away to the lake. The mob followed him as they pushed and tripped themselves to be the first to reach him.

Hermione merely stood there on the landing entirely confused at what just happened and figured she'd just help him when he showed up to class and made her way down to breakfast.

Harry turned up to class 15 minutes late, which happened to be Transfiguration, cuts littering his body, twigs and leaves in his hair and clothing ripped, panting as he sealed the door with as many layers of shields as he could fit.

Professor McGonagall was not impressed as she took in his appearance with a raised eyebrow with the rest of the class sniggering at him.

"May I ask why you were not on time today Mr Potter?" drawled McGonagall, everything about her radiating disapproval.

Harry merely stood there panting as he fought to catch his breath, his vision going blurry.

"Fangirls…your fault….." was all he managed to get out before he fell to his knees and passed out on the floor.

"Oh my. I guess I should have seen this would happen. Longbottom, Finnigan and Thomas, help Potter to his seat. There's not much we can do about this. Fangirls are out of my expertise."

* * *

"Now let's get back to the Common Room before Filch catches us and threatens us with bodily harm and detention." Declared Harry after the two of them finished eating.

' _Don't worry about the house elves Hermione. They're fine as they are._ ' J interjected as they climbed through the portrait hole.

"How can I…" gasped Hermione aghast. "It's practically slave labour. Do they get sick leave and pay and holidays? How can…" She was just getting started when J cut her off.

' _It's the same thing as I have with Harry. It's a symbiotic relationship. He provides me with magic to live, I supply him with my own personal abilities. Hogwarts supplies the house elves with magic to live, the elves provide cleaning and cooking to everyone in the castle._ '

"If you want to help them, try thinking about the laws rather than merely trying to free them?" supplied Harry gently, knowing fully well how she felt about such things before kissing her on the cheek and making his way up the stairs to his bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow 'Mione. Try to get some sleep."

"Night Harry" was the only reply he knew he was going to get as she was already deep into her thoughts, staring into the fire.

The days leading up to the ball were spent in the almost constant presence of Hermione with Neville, Dean and Seamus providing cover for Harry to run from class to class to escape the constant hounding of the fangirls until Hermione had finally put her foot down and confronted the mob of girls during lunch one day.

* * *

"THAT IS IT. HARRY IS MINE AND I AM SICK OF YOU GIRLS HOUNDING HIM DAY AND NIGHT. NOW LAY OFF AND KEEP YOUR DISTANCE OR YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES FACING THE BUSINESS END OF MY WAND AND YOU WILL REGRET IT."

It might have been the fact that she was shouting, or the ozone smell permeating the air or simply the lightning crackling through her hair that finally got her point to the fangirls but to Harry's relief the fangirls finally decided to keep their distance.

People swore that for the next few days, girls could be seen bawling their eyes out throughout the corridors giving life to the rumour to the newest Hogwarts legend. The Week of Weeping.

* * *

The ball itself was not that impressive in Harry's opinion. He could only remember a few snippets of the night.

Hermione appearing down the stairs of the dormitory in a dress that hugged her curves that was made of a light blue almost white material.

Walking down at the head of the Gryffindor contingent with Hermione arm in arm.

Twirling around the dance floor with only Hermione in his eyes.

The kiss good night at midnight at the base of the dormitory stairs to the whistles and catcalls of the rest of their housemates.

Harry went to bed that night with all thoughts on Hermione and goofy smile on his face as he relived the dancing he did with her until he finally drifted off to sleep.


End file.
